The Cincinnati Bengals trounced the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8, a 31-17 drubbing of a Super Bowl contender on the road in which the offense left roughly 10 points on the board due to mistakes.
It was a statement game for the team coming out of the bye, one that stressed more than anything that Joe Burrow is all the way back to his usual self after the training camp calf injury.
Said statement sent to the rest of the league also happens at an incredibly interesting time given the looming NFL trade deadline and a brutally tough schedule the rest of the way.
Here are some quick takeaways and thoughts on all of these things heading into Week 9.