CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) \u2014 Joe Burrow knew coming into the game that this was as close to a must-win as you can have early in the NFL season.<\/p>\n
And the fifth-year quarterback played like it.<\/p>\n
Burrow threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns, Chase Brown ran for 80 yards and two scores and the Cincinnati Bengals held on to beat the Carolina Panthers 34-24 on Sunday for their first win of the season.<\/p>\n
Of the 155 teams to start 0-4 since the merger, only the 1992 Chargers were able to rebound and make the playoffs. The Bengals don\u2019t have to worry about trying to be the second thanks to an offense that appears to be rounding into form and a defense that forced a key third-and-out late in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew we had to come and get one,\u201d Burrow said. \u201cThere was really no other option than to figure out how to win this game. And we got it done.\u201d<\/p>\n
He had plenty of help, including from his star receiver.<\/p>\n
Ja\u2019Marr Chase had three catches for 85 yards, including a highliught reel 63-yard catch-and-run touchdown<\/a> that combined toughness, quickness and open field speed all in one play. Chase started his route on the right side of the field, caught the ball crossing the field, absorbed a big hit, broke a tackle, eluded another defender and then turned the corner and outraced the defense to the end zone.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just contact balance and explosiveness, which is so difficult to put all together in one snap,\u201d Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. \u201cThat speaks to who Ja\u2019Marr is.\u201d<\/p>\n Zack Moss had 78 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown reception and Tee Higgins had six catches for 60 yards and drew two defensive pass interference penalties near the goal line for the Bengals (1-3).<\/p>\n \u201cThere was just a different type of urgency this week,\u201d Moss said.<\/p>\n Andy Dalton threw for 220 yards with two touchdowns and one interception but fell to 2-2 overall against his former team, unable to replicate the magic he displayed in his first start last week against the Las Vegas Raiders when he led the Panthers to a 36-22 win.<\/p>\n Chuba Hubbard had another strong game for Carolina, rushing for 104 yards and a touchdown and Diontae Johnson overcame a groin injury to catch seven passes for 83 yards and a score.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m encouraged that our football team continues to improve,\u201d said Panthers first-year head coach Dave Canales, who is entrusted with rebuilding a team that went 2-15 last season. \u201cBut we\u2019ve got to finish.\u201d<\/p>\n Carolina\u2019s pass defense continues to be a problem, having allowed nine TD passes in four games and more points than any team in the league.<\/p>\n Burrow didn\u2019t make it easy on Carolina.<\/p>\n He showed outstanding command and pocket presence, with his only mistake coming on an interception in which he misread how Chase was going to break on his route.<\/p>\n His most impressive play came in the second half when he avoided three pass rushers by running a complete circle in the pocket<\/a> to escape pressure and find Moss for a 21-yard gain to move the chains on third-and-5.<\/p>\n That came after Burrow got his foot stepped on early. <\/p>\n \u201cYou can call me sneaky athletic,\u201d Burrow said with a wry smile. \u201cI got stepped on early and didn\u2019t feel great, but nothing crazy. We will see what it looks like tomorrow. It might be a little bruised.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bengals also rediscovered their running game, picking up 130 yards on the ground in the second half after being held to 11 yards on six carries before intermission.<\/p>\n They got a boost early from their much-maligned defense, which allowed 38 points to the Washington Commanders last week. After stuffing Carolina on four plays from the 2-yard line on the game\u2019s first series, Trey Hendrickson hit Dalton\u2019s arm and Vonn Bell returned the interception 32 yards to set up Brown\u2019s first TD. <\/p>\n