Joe Burrow throws 3 TDs as Bengals ease past winless Lions

Joe Burrow tied a career high with three touchdown passes, helping the Cincinnati Bengals rout the Detroit Lions, 34-11, on Sunday.

The Bengals (4-2) already have equaled last year’s number of wins and doubled their victories from 2019 during coach Zac Taylor’s debut season.

Detroit (0-6) could not rally as it did in closely contested setbacks against San Francisco, Baltimore and Minnesota, failing to score until Austin Seibert made a 35-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter.

The Lions are the NFL’s only winless team under first-year coach Dan Campbell. They have lost 10 straight, going back to last season, for the league’s longest active losing streak.

Burrow finished 19 of 29 for 271 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown pass to rookie running back Chris Evans on the game’s opening drive. He threw a short pass to Joe Mixon on fourth down that the running back turned into a 40-yard score to on the opening possession of the second half to give Cincinnati a 17-0 lead. The second-year quarterback also tossed a 2-yard touchdown to C.J. Uzomah early in the fourth, putting the Bengals ahead 27-0.

Burrow did throw one interception, but the Lions failed to take advantage as they did with many opportunities in their latest loss.

Jared Goff was 28 of 42 for 202 yards, averaging less than 5 yards per completion, with an interception.

Goff threw a pass high and wide when he had a chance to connect with T.J. Hockenson on a potential touchdown pass trailing 7-0 in the second quarter. Detroit turned it over on downs after the next play at the Bengals 38.

By the time, Goff — acquired as part of the Matthew Stafford trade — started throwing more accurately, it was moot.

Goff connected on some passes during a 13-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by D’Andre Swift’s 2-yard run with 2:15 left. Goff made a 2-point conversion pass to cut Detroit’s deficit to 23 points as empty seats outnumbered occupied ones at Ford Field.