A win is a win.
No, that was not the prettiest win the Bengals had against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday evening. That's certainly not how the Bengals thought that game would from the first snap.
Down 17-0 to the one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time before halftime, Tom Brady, the Bengals were seemingly let him do whatever he wanted. Bengals QB Joe Burrow was playing one of his poorest first-halves of the season. And that came virtually lifeless running game that saw success over the last four weeks.
Was Sunday's game a sign that the Bengals five-game win streak a fluke? Not at all.
On the contrary.
The Bengals played one their best halves of football they've play all year thanks to rare consecutive takeaways from their defense. Burrow looked like the calm, cool and collected Burrow he's been in the last seven weeks. And they did it against an inconsistent Buccaneers team that looked to play the spoiler in front of the Tampa faithful.
The Strictly Stripes Podcast crew explains why this was a win the Bengals needed, even for the way the game started and unfolded. They break down and assess:

Was this the best second half of a game the Bengals have played all year?

Why was the Bengals defense able to get so many takeaways?

What was different about the way Joe Burrow responded in the second half?

Where do the Bengals need to make adjustments with a short week coming up?


Plus, the crew talks about the significance of some injuries the Bengals suffered while passing out some game balls.
This podcast features Mohammad Ahmad, Andrew Gillis and Michael Niziolek.
Music: Starfields by Hallman
Music Link: https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/nQ9ldbVF7D/
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