Las Vegas Raiders vs Cincinnati Bengals Match Player Stats (Nov 3, 2024)

Joe Burrow threw five touchdowns. Trey Hendrickson racked up four sacks. Chase Brown ran for 120 yards.

Cincinnati crushed Las Vegas 41-24 on November 3, 2024, at Paycor Stadium. The Bengals got their first home win of the season, improving to 4-5 while the Raiders dropped to 2-7.

Perfect conditions for football: 67 degrees, 7 mph winds, 41% humidity. The crowd of 65,962 at Paycor Stadium witnessed Cincinnati breaking their home losing streak. Cincinnati scored on five straight possessions to open the game, building a 31-10 lead before the Raiders threatened to score.

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Burrow’s Scramble Clinic

“We go as he goes,” Mike Gesicki said after the game. “Joe had five touchdowns today. He went.”

Burrow went everywhere. He completed his first 15 passes and finished 27-of-39 for 251 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. The five scoring throws tied his career high, first set in 2021.

But the box score doesn’t capture how he dominated. Four of those five touchdowns came when plays broke down and he scrambled. When Las Vegas pressure forced him out of the pocket, he kept his eyes downfield while receivers adjusted their routes on the fly.

The opening drive showed Cincinnati’s approach. Facing fourth-and-three at the Las Vegas 20, the Bengals came out in 11 personnel with one running back and one tight end. The Raiders showed a Cover 2 shell pre-snap. Burrow read single coverage on Tanner Hudson after the safety rotated late. He stepped up through A-gap pressure and delivered an 11-yard strike over the middle. Hudson, who hadn’t caught a pass since Week 1, leaped to snag it.

Three plays later, Burrow rolled right on a designed bootleg. Chase Brown leaked out of the backfield, running free along the back line. Burrow floated a touch pass that Brown caught while diving for the pylon. Touchdown. The 70-yard drive took 13 plays, and Burrow went 8-for-8.

He finished the first half 18-of-21 for 149 yards and two scores, posting a 128.0 passer rating. Las Vegas couldn’t solve Cincinnati’s quick-game concepts mixed with deep shots off play-action. The Raiders blitzed on 12 dropbacks, showed zone pre-snap and rotated to man post-snap, even brought pressure from their secondary. Nothing worked.

Burrow spread the ball to eight receivers, hitting five different tight ends and running backs. With Tee Higgins, Orlando Brown Jr., and Zack Moss all sidelined, plus Jermaine Burton scratched as a coach’s decision, the offense relied on depth pieces. They all delivered.

His only mistake? A fourth-quarter screen pass intended for Ja’Marr Chase that Jack Jones jumped for a 29-yard pick-six. But Cincinnati led 31-10 at the time. The interception cut the margin to 31-17, but the outcome was never in doubt.

“Just how this season has gone, knowing what’s ahead of us, knowing what we’re going to have to do to get back into this, one win isn’t going to make or break our season,” Burrow said. “I’m going to keep striving for perfection every day, every game.”

Raiders Quarterback Carousel

Las Vegas’ quarterback struggles were evident: 21-of-33 passing for just 198 yards and one touchdown. The real damage? Five sacks for 41 yards lost.

Gardner Minshew started and went 10-of-17 for 124 yards before getting benched late in the third quarter. Desmond Ridder, signed from Arizona’s practice squad weeks earlier, replaced him and completed 11-of-16 for 74 yards and a garbage-time touchdown.

“Today wasn’t a good day at the office,” head coach Antonio Pierce said. “We’ve got the bye week to reset, and when I say everything, it’s everything.”

The offensive line collapsed. Center Andre James missed the game with an ankle injury. The injuries kept coming during the contest. Left tackle Kolton Miller went down with an ankle injury in the first half. Guards Andrus Peat and Cody Whitehair followed. By the fourth quarter, tight end Harrison Bryant and cornerback Nate Hobbs had also left with ankle problems.

Las Vegas finished with its final two offensive tackles protecting backup quarterbacks behind a patchwork line. Hendrickson and the Cincinnati front feasted.

Brown Finally Breaks Through

With 27 carries for 120 yards, Chase Brown posted career highs in both categories. With Zack Moss out with a neck injury, the second-year back from Illinois got the volume and made the most of it.

His 21-yard burst in the third quarter showed everything. Cincinnati ran inside zone left, and Brown pressed the line of scrimmage, waiting for the guard to climb to the linebacker. When the hole opened, he cut back against the grain and accelerated through the second level, breaking one tackle and falling forward for extra yards.

“When you can play with the lead, you’re able to lean on that and wear them down,” Zac Taylor explained. “Great job with the scheme there by Frank Pollack.”

Brown also caught five passes for 37 yards and a touchdown, finishing with 157 yards from scrimmage. His receiving score came on the opening drive when he leaked into the flat on play-action, caught Burrow’s pass uncovered, and dove for the pylon.

Las Vegas managed just 60 rushing yards on 21 attempts (2.9 average). The difference was stark. Alexander Mattison gained 36 yards on nine carries. Zamir White scored on the opening drive but managed only 10 yards on six attempts after that. Ameer Abdullah contributed 12 yards on four carries.

Three Plays That Decided Everything

The Minshew fumble changed the game. Early in the third quarter with Las Vegas trailing 17-10, Minshew tried to hand off to DJ Turner. The exchange broke down completely. The ball bounced loose, and Logan Wilson recovered at the Las Vegas 21. Five plays later, Mike Gesicki caught his first touchdown as a Bengal to make it 31-10.

Maxx Crosby’s unnecessary roughness penalty extended Cincinnati’s best drive of the first half. On second-and-6 from the Las Vegas 47, Crosby jumped offside, then plowed into Burrow after the whistle. The 14-yard penalty gave Cincinnati first-and-10 at the 33. Three plays later, Burrow rolled right and hit Andrei Iosivas fighting through contact for a 10-yard touchdown dive with 32 seconds left in the half. That gave the Bengals a 17-10 lead at halftime.

Trey Hendrickson’s fourth-quarter strip-sack stopped the Raiders’ most promising drive of the second half. The Raiders had driven from their own 33 to the Cincinnati 36, picking up three first downs. On fourth-and-12, Hendrickson beat his man with a speed rush and forced the fumble. Wilson recovered at the Las Vegas 13.

Game over.

Gesicki’s Breakthrough Performance

Mike Gesicki hadn’t topped 100 receiving yards since October 17, 2021, when he played for Miami. That drought ended emphatically: five catches, 100 yards, two touchdowns.

His first touchdown came after Wilson’s fumble recovery. On third-and-11 from the Las Vegas 21, Burrow rolled left under pressure. Gesicki broke open across the middle, and Burrow hit him in stride for an 11-yard score. The play pushed Cincinnati’s lead to 31-10.

Gesicki struck again late in the fourth quarter with the game decided. Burrow pump-faked a screen toward Chase, and the defense bit hard. Gesicki ran a seam route behind the safeties, and Burrow launched a perfect 47-yard strike that Gesicki hauled in for the touchdown.

“I told everybody I just feel like I’m living right because that happened,” Gesicki said. “My wife could have probably scored on that play. Honestly, a lot of credit goes to Ja’Marr because of how much attention he gets.”

Former Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert watched from the stands as that day’s “Ruler of the Jungle.” Gesicki became just the third Cincinnati tight end to post 100+ receiving yards and multiple touchdowns in a game, joining Eifert and Rodney Holman. Eifert last did it on September 13, 2015, against the Raiders in Oakland with 104 yards and two scores, per ESPN’s game recap.

Chase drew constant double coverage, limiting him to seven catches for 43 yards on 11 targets. But his presence created space for everyone else. Rookie tight end Erick All Jr. caught two passes for 24 yards before exiting in the second quarter with a knee injury.

Jakobi Meyers provided the lone offensive bright spot for Las Vegas. He caught eight passes for 105 yards on 11 targets, consistently beating press coverage and finding soft spots in Cincinnati’s zones. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers added five catches for 45 yards and a late touchdown from Ridder, but the defense contained him for most of the afternoon.

Hendrickson Takes Over

“Four sacks, seven quarterback hits, that’s tough to match,” Zac Taylor said.

Trey Hendrickson overwhelmed Las Vegas’ backup tackles, recording four sacks, seven quarterback hits, one forced fumble, and five additional pressures. His four-sack day matched the best by a Bengals defender since Antwan Odom notched five against Green Bay on September 20, 2009, according to Pro Football Reference.

His strip-sack of Ridder sealed the win, as described earlier. Wilson recorded two fumble recoveries, becoming the first Bengals player with multiple fumble recoveries in a game since B.J. Hill did so against the Jets on September 25, 2022, according to the Bengals official recap.

Crosby generated three quarterback hits for Las Vegas but couldn’t bring down Burrow for a sack. He drew the crucial penalty in the second quarter that helped Cincinnati take a 17-10 halftime lead.

Jack Jones provided the Raiders’ only defensive touchdown with his 29-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter.

But it came with the game already decided.

Complete Domination

Cincinnati held the ball for more than 35 minutes and outgained Las Vegas by 156 yards. The Bengals didn’t punt until midway through the third quarter, scoring on their first five possessions. Las Vegas went three-and-out on three straight possessions in the third quarter, gaining negative-9 total yards during that stretch.

Special Teams and Field Position

Both kickers stayed perfect on their attempts. AJ Cole averaged 56.0 yards on five punts for Las Vegas, pinning three inside the 20-yard line. His punting provided one of the few bright spots for the Raiders, limiting Cincinnati’s field position on their rare stalled drives.

Ryan Rehkow averaged 58.3 yards on just three punts for Cincinnati. The disparity in punt totals showed Cincinnati’s control. Cincinnati controlled possession and sustained drives while Las Vegas struggled on offense. Return game contributions stayed minimal for both teams, with Trenton Irwin handling three punt returns for Cincinnati and DJ Turner managing two for Las Vegas.

Season Implications

This November 2024 matchup was huge for both franchises. Cincinnati kept playoff hopes alive at 4-5, but faced Baltimore (6-3) on Thursday night, just four days later. Then came home games against the Chargers (5-3) and Steelers (6-2). The Bengals needed to win all three for any realistic shot at the postseason, as detailed by the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Las Vegas fell to 2-7 and entered its bye week with no answers at quarterback. The Raiders had cycled through Aidan O’Connell (thumb injury), Minshew, and Ridder. Pierce’s first season as head coach looked increasingly bleak with five division games still remaining.

For comprehensive match statistics across all NFL games, visit Match vs Player Stats.

Why Cincinnati Won

Burrow’s scramble ability made the difference. When plays broke down, he kept his eyes downfield while receivers adjusted routes. That chemistry separated Cincinnati’s offense from Las Vegas’ disjointed attack. The offensive line gave Burrow time, allowing just one sack compared to five for the Raiders.

The offensive line controlled the trenches all afternoon. Right tackle Amarius Mims handled Crosby’s power rushes, rarely allowing pressure from the edge. Left guard Cordell Volson and center Ted Karras dominated the interior, creating consistent push in the run game and opening lanes for Brown to grind down the Raiders in the second half. Cincinnati protected the football throughout. Brown didn’t fumble despite 27 carries and constant contact. Burrow’s only interception came with the game already decided, a screen pass that Jones jumped in garbage time.

Defensively, Hendrickson dominated backup tackles, forcing Las Vegas into predictable passing situations. The Bengals dropped seven into coverage on third down, knowing the front four would generate pressure. Mike Hilton and the slot defenders blanketed underneath routes, forcing difficult throws.

Cincinnati scored touchdowns in the final minute of both halves, striking at crucial moments. The Bengals converted 80% of red zone possessions (4-of-5) while Las Vegas scored once inside the 20, relying on the pick-six and a field goal for other points.

After starting 0-4 at Paycor Stadium, the Bengals gave their home crowd something to celebrate. The victory wouldn’t mean much if they couldn’t build on it, but for one Sunday afternoon in perfect weather, everything clicked. Burrow threw five touchdowns. Hendrickson wrecked the game. Brown ran through defenders. The final score: Cincinnati 41, Las Vegas 24.