The Cincinnati Bengals took a 24-10 lead into halftime at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday, November 8, 2026, and beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 in the NFL's second regular-season game in Spain. It was the first time in franchise history that Cincinnati won a game played outside the United States.
The result moved the Bengals to 6-2 and extended their winning streak to four games. Atlanta, nominally the home team for the Madrid fixture, dropped to 3-6 and has now lost two in a row.
Attendance was 78,660, according to the Associated Press, which reported that Bengals supporters appeared to outnumber Falcons fans inside the stadium.
A first half without a wasted possession
Atlanta started the better of the two. The Falcons scored 10 points on their first two drives and led early. From there Cincinnati's defense conceded a single touchdown for the remainder of the afternoon.
The Bengals, meanwhile, scored on every one of their four first-half possessions. Evan McPherson's 57-yard field goal just before the interval made it 24-10, and Atlanta never got the margin back under two scores.
Burrow's most efficient day of the season
Joe Burrow finished 24 of 29 for 271 yards with three touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown — four scores in all, with no turnovers and a passer rating of 140.1. The third of those throws was his 21st touchdown pass of the season, the most in the league.
Ja'Marr Chase caught 10 passes for 155 yards and a 47-yard touchdown, with 142 of those yards and eight of the catches coming before halftime. Tee Higgins took five receptions for 32 yards and two touchdowns.
"Best in the world," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said of Chase after the game.
For Atlanta, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. went 20 of 31 for 162 yards with a touchdown and a fourth-quarter interception to Barrett Carter, and added 50 rushing yards. Running back Bijan Robinson was the Falcons' most productive player, with 100 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries plus 47 receiving yards on six catches. Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. returned from an eight-game suspension but saw limited playing time.
The number behind the streak
The win was the fourth consecutive game in which Cincinnati scored at least 30 points, a run the franchise has not managed since 1997 and one that ties its own record. The Bengals are averaging 29.6 points per game, second in the NFL behind Buffalo's 33.3.
That is the figure that explains the standings more than the schedule does: at 6-2 Cincinnati is level at the top of the AFC North with Pittsburgh, and the two meet on Sunday, November 15, when the Bengals host the Steelers at Paycor Stadium on "Sunday Night Football." Atlanta hosts Kansas City the same week.
Reporting from the Cincinnati Bengals, the Associated Press and Sky Sports.
