The Cincinnati Bengals will pursue their first victory outside the United States when they face the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid on Sunday, Nov. 8. The Week 9 matchup at the Bernabéu brings together two teams sitting half a game behind their respective division leaders. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET, with coverage on NFL Network and streaming on fubo.
The NFL returns overseas after a week without an international game, and the Bernabéu will stage American football for a second consecutive year. Cincinnati has a loss and a tie from its two previous international appearances, the latest in 2019. Atlanta has won twice and lost three times abroad, including a defeat in Berlin last season.
Cincinnati arrives with three straight victories, scoring at least 31 points in each. Atlanta has dropped two of its past three games and was shut out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8. Despite those results, the Falcons remain close to the NFC South lead in a division where no team reached .500 through the season's first two months. Three AFC North teams have winning records.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow leads the NFL with 20 touchdown passes and has a passer rating of 111.6, just 0.1 points below the league lead. His performance follows three seasons in which injuries cost him a combined 16 games. Atlanta recently contained another leading quarterback, Brock Purdy, during its Week 7 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Tee Higgins has matched teammate Ja'Marr Chase in both targets and receptions through their first seven games. Each has been targeted 61 times and made 43 catches. Higgins has accumulated 726 receiving yards, placing him second in the league behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and making him a central part of Cincinnati's productive passing offense.
Atlanta's offensive threats include NFL rushing leader Bijan Robinson, who has 780 yards, and Drake London, whose 624 receiving yards rank sixth. They face a Cincinnati defense that conceded 36 points to the Tennessee Titans in its previous game. Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. also enters the matchup after completing eight of 24 passes in the rain against Tampa Bay.
The Falcons could receive defensive help from second-year pass rusher James Pearce Jr., who is eligible for his season debut after reinstatement following an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Pearce faced felony charges after an offseason domestic dispute and is on track to have those charges dropped. He recorded 10.5 sacks as a rookie despite starting only three games, and returns to a defense ranked sixth in quarterback pressure rate.
