Here’s how Yankees helped Bengals dispatch Raiders

It was a tough week for the New York Yankees. Not only did they lose the World Series, but Laura Okmin said Cincinnati defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo showed their Game 5 miscues to his team to prepare the Bengals for an important game against the Raiders. If it’s any solace to the Yankees, their loss wound up helping Anarumo’s club beat the Raiders, 41-24, on Sunday.

The Bengals (4-5) spotted Las Vegas an opening-drive touchdown then allowed just three points over the Raiders’ ensuing nine possessions. Cincinnati allowed only 217 total yards and recovered two fumbles, both by linebacker Logan Ryan. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson had four sacks, forced a fumble and broke up a pass. Head coach Zac Taylor said it was a defensive effort Cincinnati desperately needed heading into a short week with the Ravens (6-3) on the Thursday horizon.

“I thought the defense, after that first drive, did a great job buckling up, making them punt, creating turnovers,” said Taylor, whose team registered its first home victory since the 2023 regular-season finale. “Really did a good job allowing the offense to play aggressively and get some points on the board and play with a lead, and the offense did that.”

The offense did that with a fantastic effort from Joe Burrow, who hit 27 of 39 passes for 251 yards, five touchdowns and one interception, leading Cincinnati to points in five of its first six possessions. Burrow registered his second five-touchdown performance this season. The rest of the NFL has just one.

But Burrow was all-business from start to finish. He was even angry after his fifth touchdown pass, a 47-yard strike to tight end Mike Gesicki (five catches, 100 yards, two touchdowns), saying the Bengals “didn’t exactly have a very good third quarter.”

“I’m going to have my standard of play,” Burrow said, “and I’m going to have my idea of the standard of what we should live up to as an offense, the coaching staff, and myself, and everybody. When I feel like we live up to it, I’m going to let us know. And when I feel like we don’t live up to it, I’m going to let us know, too. Like I said, good and bad today. So, not any time to sit and dwell on the good we had today. It’s a short week. We have to learn from the bad and move on.”

Derrick Henry and the Ravens are already thinking about Thursday, too.