Bengals Offense shows life in 4th Quarter, but Fall to Detroit 35-17
CINCINNATI – October 5, 2025 – Brendon D. Miller
The Cincinnati Bengals returned to the Jungle licking their wounds after an 0-2 road trip. It was also their first two games without Joe Burrow, and they were outscored by over 60 points combined in those games.
It isn’t an easy trip home, however. The Detroit Lions were waiting. They were 3-1 coming in and one of the best offenses in the NFL. Built around one of the best offensive lines, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are the best 1-2 punch in the league. Jared Goff also has plenty of time to hit his myriad of weapons in the passing game.
It was just a matter of which big cat was going to come out on top.
If you have been watching the Bengals the past couple of weeks, the first few drives were much of the same. The Lions quickly drove down the field by running the ball and hitting their tight ends. The first score went to Sam LaPorta against Joseph Ossai in coverage.
Mixed in with all of that was Cincinnati’s offense either turning the ball over, Browning placing his passes poorly, penalties killing drives, or the offensive line failing to open holes or protect Browning.
One of those Browning interceptions set the Lions up inside the red zone to start their drive. It ended with Cincinnati native Lions running back David Montgomery throwing a touchdown to his tight end, Brock Wright.
It would be a disservice, though, to completely discredit the Bengals’ defense in this game. Trey Hendrickson forced an early fumble on Jared Goff. They all were able to get the Lions behind the sticks several times and off the field. This game could have easily been over at halftime without a world-class effort with some of the field positions Detroit started with.
We also got a taste of offense at the end of the first half. Browning started cooking in the 2-minute drill a little bit. They even crossed midfield! Something they had not done since the first drive against the Denver Broncos. A false start and the clock ended the drive with a 50-yard Evan McPherson field goal to end a possible shutout and cut into the deficit.
The first half ended with the Lions winning 14-3
Don’t worry. If you thought the Bengals were going to make believers out of anyone, Browning opened the second half, instantly throwing the ball right to a linebacker in a passing lane. Then the defense had the Lions in a 2nd-and-15 on their own 20 after the turnover and a holding penalty. Then Gibbs took a wide receiver screen all the way into the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown score.
After another Bengals 3-and-out, it was Montgomery’s turn to get his proper touchdown. He gashed the defense several times before ending up in the end zone from eight yards out to make it a 28-3 lead.
The Bengals were able to get into the Lions’ red zone at the end of the third quarter after being bailed out by one of the worst defensive pass interference calls you will ever see. Browning finally was able to reward Ja’Marr Chase with a touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. He was surrounded by three defenders, but he dragged his feet beautifully.
After a 3-and-out forced by Cincinnati’s defense, Browning had another redemption moment. It looked like the drive might be ending soon after a sack on an attempted flea-flicker, but then Chase broke free deep for a 64-yard touchdown with about 10 minutes left.
Cue the methodical drive by the Lions to eat up nearly five minutes of the clock, feeding Montgomery and Gibbs. They finished off the drive by hitting rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa for his first NFL touchdown. A proper nail in the coffin.
Browning and the offense did add a Tee Higgins touchdown with 2:57 remaining. They attempted an onside kick. It touched a Detroit player and was out in the open for a second. However, the Lions did recover it.
The Bengals go the ball back only to get sacked for a safety.
This game was promising, but the offense was a case of too little too late. You could also look at the slew of injuries in Detroit’s secondary as a reason for them to finally get things moving. They literally had players in the secondary who had just joined the team that week due to injuries during the game. Still, it is at least more than they had done in the past two games combined, and it was palatable to watch.
The turnovers by Browning were simply too much to overcome. Even the ones that did not lead directly to points led to terrible field position.
The score may show that a ton of points were put up, but the defense seriously deserves a ton of credit for how well they played a majority of the game.
Still, sitting at 2-3 after starting 2-0 just sucks. It was a serious possibility when Burrow went down. It’s just disappointing to see a wasted year with so many talented players still playing their butts off.
