The Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons meet Sunday, Nov. 8 at Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, Spain, in the NFL‘s second regular-season game in the country. Kickoff is set for 9:30 a.m. ET, with the Bengals vs Falcons Madrid game airing on NFL Network. Cincinnati brings a 5-2 record into the matchup, while Atlanta enters at 3-5 after a lopsided loss the week before.
The stakes differ sharply for each side. The Bengals are chasing their fourth straight win and a share of the AFC North lead, while the Falcons are trying to stop a recent slide that has left them tied for third in the NFC South.
Bengals Vs Falcons Game Information
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 8
- Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
- Venue: Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain
- TV: NFL Network
- Stage: NFL Madrid Game
Bengals Outlook
Cincinnati has won five of its last six games overall, including a 43-36 overtime win over the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 1. Quarterback Joe Burrow has completed 73.0% of his passes for 2,115 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions, posting a 111.6 passer rating through seven games. That efficiency has powered an offense averaging 29.4 points per game, best among the two teams in this matchup.
The Bengals’ third-down offense has been the engine behind their recent comebacks, converting 52.87% of attempts, nearly 20 percentage points above Atlanta’s mark. Cincinnati has rallied from 13-point first-half deficits in each of its past two games, a feat Sportradar says only the 2020 New Orleans Saints had managed among recent teams before the Bengals did it twice in a row.
The defense remains a concern early in games. Cincinnati has allowed a touchdown on the opening possession in three straight contests and has given up a score on the first possession in five of seven games this season, with 27 points surrendered on first drives tying for fourth most in the league. Linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. provided a bright spot against Tennessee, recording the Bengals’ first safety since 2024 by tackling running back Tony Pollard in the end zone.
Cincinnati’s injury report lists safety Jordan Battle (hamstring), safety Kyle Dugger (quadriceps), cornerback DJ Turner II (heel) and defensive end Cedric Johnson (ankle) as questionable, all projected as game-time decisions. Defensive end Cashius Howell remains on injured reserve following wrist surgery.
Falcons Outlook
Atlanta arrives off one of its worst offensive performances of the season, a 16-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 1 in which quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was intercepted four times, including twice by Alex Anzalone, according to the Denver Post. Penix finished 8 for 24 for 125 yards in that game. For the season, he has completed 60.4% of his passes for 1,604 yards with 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and the Falcons’ offense averages 21.4 points per game.
Running back Bijan Robinson has carried the ground game, rushing for 780 yards and four touchdowns on 150 attempts this season, though he was held to 76 yards on 19 carries against Tampa Bay. Atlanta’s offense overall averages 134.8 rushing yards per game, well ahead of Cincinnati’s 80.3 rushing average, giving the Falcons a potential path to control the clock if their passing game struggles again.
The turnover numbers point to Atlanta’s biggest problem. The Falcons have given the ball away 16 times against only nine takeaways, a turnover differential of minus-7 that ranks among the worst marks the data reflects for either team in this matchup.
Atlanta’s injury situation grew more complicated against Tampa Bay. Wide receiver Zachariah Branch (hamstring) is out and not expected back until Nov. 15, and defensive end Samson Ebukam (hamstring) landed on injured reserve with a projected return date of Dec. 13. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) is questionable after being inactive in Week 8, and linebacker Divine Deablo (forearm) is also questionable. Linebacker Yasir Abdullah remains on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
Key Matchup
Cincinnati’s third-down offense against Atlanta’s leaky secondary stands out as the matchup most likely to shape the outcome. The Bengals convert 52.87% of third downs, a rate that has repeatedly bailed out a defense that struggles early in games. Atlanta’s defense has already allowed Penix’s counterparts to pick apart a unit that surrendered 16 points without forcing a single completion out of Tampa Bay’s offense, a reminder that the Falcons’ issues extend beyond their own passing attack.
If Cincinnati’s offensive line can protect Burrow, who has been sacked only 13 times this season, the Bengals’ receiving corps led by Tee Higgins (43 receptions, 726 yards, four touchdowns) should find room against a Falcons defense that has posted 18 sacks and 36 passes defended through eight games. Atlanta’s counter will depend on whether Robinson can find running lanes early enough to keep Cincinnati’s defense from teeing off on Penix.
Players To Watch
Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals
Burrow has thrown 20 touchdowns against six interceptions this season and leads an offense that has scored at least 31 points in three of its last five games. His ability to protect the ball will matter against a Falcons defense that has forced 11 takeaways.
Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons
Robinson has rushed for 780 yards and four touchdowns on the season but was limited to 76 yards on 19 carries in Atlanta’s loss to Tampa Bay. His workload could rise further with Brian Robinson Jr. questionable.
Demetrius Knight Jr., LB, Bengals
Knight recorded the Bengals’ first safety since 2024 against Tennessee and has been part of a Cincinnati defense that has produced 23 sacks this season.
What To Watch
Cincinnati holds a 5-2 record for the first time since 2021 and sits one game behind Pittsburgh atop the AFC North. A win would move the Bengals to 6-2 and keep pace in a division where only two games separate the top three teams. Atlanta, at 3-5, is tied with Tampa Bay for third in the NFC South and faces a tightening margin for error in the conference race.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has prepared for an international game before, leading Cincinnati against the Los Angeles Rams in London in 2019. He described the compressed international schedule to theScore, saying, “The week shapes up different. It speeds up the coaches a bit so that the comfort of being here in our office is different than on the road.
As much as you can get done here before you get on the plane, you’d prefer to do that. Clean things up as you go. You treat it like a six-day week.”
This marks Cincinnati’s third international game in franchise history, following a 27-27 tie against Washington in 2016 and the 24-10 loss to the Rams in 2019.
Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence framed the trip’s dual purpose to theScore, saying, “We’re there to win. We’re there to get our fourth win in a row. We’re there to get to 6-2.
We’re there to beat the Falcons. That’s priority No. 1.” Cincinnati’s defense will need to clean up slow starts that have allowed opponents to score on the opening possession in five of seven games, while Atlanta looks to answer questions about an offensive line and passing attack that managed only 125 yards through the air in its most recent outing.
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