The ninth Sunday of the NFL regular season begins with a trip to Spain for a compelling showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Atlanta Falcons.
Cincinnati (5-2) arrived at Madrid with a three-game winning streak. The Bengals are receiving an MVP-caliber season from quarterback Joe Burrow, who leads the NFL in touchdown passes (20) and completion percentage (73%). Burrow continues to have the luxury of having the NFL's best receiving duo at his disposal in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Together, the duo has combined to catch 86 passes for 1,288 yards and 10 touchdowns entering Sunday's game.
Atlanta (3-5) is coming off a 16-0 loss to the Buccaneers, which made them the first team since 1974 to lose a game in which the opposing quarterback did not complete a pass. While it's been a disappointing season so far, the Falcons have continued to receive stellar play from All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson, who currently leads the NFL with 780 yards on the ground.
Which team will come out on top? To find out, follow along in our live blog below, as we'll be providing updates, highlights and analysis throughout the game.
Although you can feel the outdoor temperature inside the stadium, there's not really wind, so this could be a big day for kickers. During warmups, Evan McPherson went back to 61 yards and he had some room to spare, so he could probably go back to 65 today if the Bengals need him to.
Two weeks ago, the NFL held a game in Paris despite civil unrest taking place throughout the city. In Madrid, there has been some protesting, but it's been almost all peaceful based on what I've seen and heard. With that in mind though, there's some serious security at this game.
Evan McPherson was one of the first Bengals players out on the field and after he was done checking out the turf at Bernabeu, he decided to sign some autographs for several excited Bengals fans.
There's a path at the stadium for players to get on and off the field. The Bengals' path is at the 20-yard line. Joe Burrow was near the 50-yard line and he didn't feel like making the trek down, so he took a detour through the Falcons' bench area, under a barrier and to the Bengals' locker room. Foreign stadiums can be confusing.
The fans here don't tailgate like we don in America. So what does that mean for all the American fans? Most of them went to nearby bars and some of them even went to the Taco Bell across from Bernabeu to eat some food and drink a few beers before the game.
One interesting thing about Bernabeu Stadium that I didn't know about: The outer shell of the stadium is built like a vent. This means that although the roof will be closed, you still get the outdoor weather blowing through. It's 59 degrees in Madrid right now and it feels that way inside the stadium.
Joe Burrow is having an MVP caliber season, and Tee Higgins is a big reason why.
Via CBS Sports Research Team:
Among all QB-receiver duos with at least 40 targets this season, Burrow's 0.82 EPA/Throw is the highest in the NFL when targeting Higgins.
Highest EPA/Throw by QB-Receiver Duo
This Season (Min. 40 Targets)
Joe Burrow > Tee Higgins 0.82
Jared Goff > Sam LaPorta 0.69
Jared Goff > Jameson Williams 0.59
Higgins' 726 receiving yards are the 2nd-most in the NFL and the 4th-most by a Bengal in the 1st 7 games of a season in franchise history.
The 27-year-old has 22 explosive receptions, tied for the 2nd-most by any player in their 1st 7 games of a season since 2000.
Most Explosive Receptions in 1st 7 Games of Season - Since 2000
2011 Steve Smith 23
2026 Tee Higgins 22
2023 Tyreek Hill 22
2016 Julio Jones 22
2012 Calvin Johnson 22
>> Explosive reception = 16+ yd rec
Higgins has an explosive target rate of 36.1% this season, 9.0 percentage points higher than any other receiver in the NFL (min. 40 targets)
Highest Explosive/TGT Pct by QB-Receiver Duo
This Season (Min. 40 Targets)
Joe Burrow > Tee Higgins 36.1%
Trevor Lawrence > Parker Washington 27.1%
Kirk Cousins > Brock Bowers 25.8%
In the past 25 years, no QB-receiver duo has had as high an explosive target pct as Burrow-Higgins through 7 games (min. 50 targets).
Think of all the dynamic pairings we've seen!
Highest Explosive/TGT Pct by QB-Receiver Duo
1st 7 Games of Season - Past 25 Years
2026 Joe Burrow > Tee Higgins 36.1%
2011 Cam Newton > Steve Smith Sr. 35.9%
2023 Dak Prescott > CeeDee Lamb 33.9%
2016 Matt Ryan > Julio Jones 33.8%
2001 Kurt Warner > Isaac Bruce 32.8%
> Min. 50 Targets (Among 635 instances)
You're probably wondering: Why is Tee Higgins all of a sudden having a breakout year?
Well, the Bengals are utilizing him more on intermediate throws over the middle.
Joe Burrow: 18/19, 316 yds targeting Tee Higgins on 10-20 air yd throws inside numbers this season (most comp & yds of any duo in NFL)
It appears that Falcons pass rusher James Pearce Jr. will make his season debut today. He started the year with an eight-game suspension for violations of the NFL's personal conduct policy. Pearce was listed as questionable heading into the game with a back issue.
Pearce can help a Falcons defense that is averaging just 2.25 sacks a game this season.
Welcome today's live coverage of today's international game in Spain between the Falcons and Bengals. It's a big game for both teams for different reasons.
The Bengals are riding a three-game winning streak and with a win can keep pace with the Steelers for first place in the AFC North. The Falcons are 3-5 and need a win if they want to make sure that they don't lose ground if in the NFC South standings this week.
One thing to keep an eye on is the field condition. It appears that Burrow was pointing out an issue in the end zone to Ja'Marr Chase during pregame.
