The chants are beginning to reach a crescendo as Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow takes them into Sunday night's AFC North showdown against the Steelers in certain to be electric Paycor Stadium decked out for NBC's Football Night in America.
After Sunday's 83% passing onslaught in the 34-17 win over the Falcons in Madrid, Burrow leads the NFL in passer rating, touchdown passes, and passing yards per game while steering the 6-2 Bengals into a spot to take over the division and remain a game back in a bid for the AFC's best record.
Plus, Burrow upped his league-leading completion percentage to 74.0, third best all-time for a season as he threatens Drew Brees' all-time record of 74.4 set in 2018.
He has been ridiculous in the last 11 quarters (starting with the 35-0 second half in Baltimore) hitting 77% of 95 passes for 982 yards while increasing his league's all-time best completion percentage to 69%, nearly a full percentage point better than No. 2 Brock Purdy.
During that stretch, Burrow has lost tight ends Tanner Hudson and Erick All Jr., and never had third wide receiver Andrei Iosivas.
So it's time to say something about how well an offensive line has been protecting for a team that everyone knows putting the ball in Burrow's hands makes them as dangerous as club in the loop.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Bengals are grading out as the league's third-best pass blockers behind the 49ers and Lions.
In Madrid, Next Gen Stats had the Bengals allowing Burrow to be pressured on nine of 32 dropbacks. His time to pressure of 3.26 seconds was the longest of his career, and the Falcons defense had just one quick pressure in the game.
Right tackle Amarius Mims again dominated with no pressures as he steeled himself for Pittsburgh sack ace T.J. Watt.
"They all play a big role," said head coach Zac Taylor on a quiet Monday that belies the intensity to come on a Steeler week. "But those linemen … We throw it a lot, and it's a lot of six-man drop back protection for the most part over the course of the game.
"And they embrace it. I think they've done a great job. I think Amarius Mims probably doesn't get the recognition he deserves nationally, the job he's doing at right tackle. They're all doing a great job. But Mims is playing at a (high) level."
After arriving at Paycor Stadium Monday at 2:17 a.m., Taylor was back in front of the media less than 12 hours later, and his mind went back to their first third down of the game.
Taylor has put quarterbacks coach Brad Kragthorpe in charge of third down, and Burrow's sweet in-stride 47-yard touchdown bomb to wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase on the Bengals' fifth play of the day on third-and-two did nothing to harm their No. 1 ranking in third-down conversions.
It was their first of six successful conversions out of 10 on the day, upping their percentage to 52.9, best since Drew Brees' 2011 Saints.
The play had been drawn up during the week, and word is Kragthorpe couldn't wait for the double move to jump off his play sheet. Not with Chase manned up against cornerback A.J. Terrell and safety Xavier Watts not playing deep enough.
He didn't have to wait long.
Taylor not only loved the result, but what it meant to the 78,000-plus at Bernabeau Stadium. He imagined himself at FC Cincinnati's TQL Stadium.
"If you're going to a soccer game here, there's a couple of names I know if I take in an international soccer game. I'm kind of hoping one of those stars does something early to catch my attention because that's who I know," Taylor said. "So it's not lost on me after the game. When you think back to how the game started for us with Joe throwing a deep pass at Ja'Marr, that's probably pretty cool for all those Spanish people that were there that are celebrities in their own right that get a chance to see that. I thought that was pretty neat that that's how it started off."
Taylor gets it. He knows what the overseas trip means for the franchise and his players.
"The impact the game has on the world and how people embrace it. They were so excited," Taylor said of his biggest takeaway. I don't know what percentage were Bengals fans from the U.S. and what percentage were people overseas wearing Bengals gear supporting the team.
"When I was out and about on Friday and Saturday, there were certainly a lot of foreign Bengals fans. You could just tell by the accent, and so it's pretty cool seeing new people maybe coming to the team or people abroad that had just always pulled for us. I just found that really interesting, and it was fun to be around them."
Since he calls the plays, Taylor is immersed in the offense. So when he got on the bus to go to the airport Sunday night, he refreshed himself on the play of the defense on his iPad and liked what he saw. The Bengals didn't let NFL rushing leader Bijan Robinson wreck the game (100 yards on 19 carries) and pressured Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 22 times, led by edge Myles Murphy's six and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence's five.
Taylor flashed back to the Falcons' second drive of the game after both teams had scored. This is why after the game in the locker room Taylor shouted out Lawrence and tag-team tackle partner Jonathan Allen.
When the Falcons got inside the Bengals 10, Allen did what he's been doing all year and forced a hold. This time on left guard Matt Bergeron, helplessly bull-rushed. Then Lawrence blew up third down with an immediate bolt through right guard and center that caused a throwaway and the Falcons settled for three.
"I think that running back is as tough to deal with as any back in this league, and so I thought that they did a really good job," Taylor said. "There's a couple that get away from you. He's done that in most games he's played.
"On the second drive they got down there to the goal line, and our guys are winning, and so they get a holding penalty and knocks them back, and we hold them to three. And to me that was a big momentum shift right there to hold them to three and allow our offense to continue to stay in rhythm and build the lead there."
Taylor expressed absolutely no interest in Tuesday's trade deadline. He likes the roster.
"I feel good about where we're at," Taylor said. "We're just focused on Pittsburgh right now. It's our biggest focus." …
No team has been able to come off an international game and beat a team the next week that is coming off a bye. That's a Taylor sweet spot. He loves bringing up challenging stats to his team, and he thinks they'll embrace this one. (Exhibit A: they've won three of their last four prime-time road games, once a sticking point.)
"I don't know what the stats are. I just know they're not great. I honestly can't even give you a ballpark of what they are," Taylor said. "I just think common sense would tell you it's probably a little challenging. But I think we have a great mindset right now." …
Left guard Dylan Farchild was hurt on the last play in Madrid, and Taylor is waiting for more information …
Iosivas (wrist), cornerback Ja'Sir Taylor (hamstring), and rookie offensive lineman Brian Parker (knee) are eligible to come off injured reserve, but Taylor says they're not ready to make a call yet for Sunday …