CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Burrow keeps throwing touchdown passes and the Cincinnati Bengals have won two in a row for just the second time this season.
However, the star quarterback was far from happy with the effort.
“It was too sloppy, we had too many penalties, too many procedural penalties, I had too many turnovers,” Burrow said after Cincinnati beat the Tennessee Titans 37-27 on Sunday. “It was just a frustrating day on offense.”
It certainly was a messy affair. There were myriad turnovers, including two interceptions thrown by Burrow, and penalties galore. The Bengals (6-8) were flagged 14 times.
The combined 10 turnovers were the most in an NFL game since 2007. And it was the first NFL game since 2000 to feature at least 10 turnovers and at least 25 penalties.
A meaningless touchdown for the Titans at the end of the game made it seem closer than it was. Cincinnati had carried a 17-point into the fourth quarter.
“To be honest with you, we weren’t playing good ball today,” running back Chase Brown said. “I mean, defense backed us up there a couple of times, got us back on the field. So big tribute to them. Outside of that, we could have been a lot better. We put some points on the board, but when we watch the film, there’s got to be a lot to learn from.”
The win kept the Bengals' slim playoff hopes alive, but just barely. They would likely have to win their three remaining games and get a lot of help from other teams. They are on the bubble with two other 6-8 teams.
Burrow continues to have a terrific season whether the Bengals win or not. Against the Titans, he was 26 for 37 for 271 yards and three touchdowns. He became the fifth NFL quarterback with at least three touchdown passes in six consecutive games. He's in good company. The others are Tom Brady (10 in 2007), Andrew Luck (8 in 2018), Peyton Manning (8 in 2004) and Dan Marino (7 from 1986-87). Burrow's 36 touchdown passes this season broke his previous franchise record of 35 from 2022. ... WR Ja'Marr Chase became the first NFL receiver this season with 100 catches.
Besides throwing two picks, Burrow lost a fumble to Tennessee. The Bengals' 14 penalties cost them 113 yards. The have a combined 35 penalties in the past three games, for a whopping 294 yards.
Bengals DE Sam Hubbard lined up as an eligible receiver on offense and caught a 2-yard TD pass from Burrow late in the first half. In doing so, he became the first defensive player in Bengals history with a receiving TD, the first defensive player in the league with a receiving TD this season, and the first Bengals defender with a scrimmage TD since 1962, when DB Bobby Hunt had a rushing touchdown.
Safety Jordan Battle scooped up a Titans fumble and ran it back for what would have been a 61-yard touchdown had he not fumbled the ball as he crossed the goal line. The ball bounced out of the back of the end zone and became a touchback.
Hubbard left the game with a knee injury after catching the TD pass. ... OL Cody Ford, who was the replacement for the injured Orlando Brown Jr., was a late scratch due to illness.
1,413 — Chase's receiving yards this season. He also leads the league in receptions (102) and touchdowns (15).
The Bengals have a chance at a season sweep when the struggling Cleveland Browns (3-11) visit Cincinnati on Sunday.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) dives for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone (22) points as he runs towards the endzone to score a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — France used ships and military aircraft to rush rescuers and supplies to Mayotte on Monday after the tiny French island territory off Africa was battered by its worst cyclone in nearly a century. Authorities fear hundreds and possibly thousands of people have died.
Survivors wandered through streets littered with debris, searching for water and shelter, after Cyclone Chido leveled entire neighborhoods on Saturday when it hit Mayotte, the poorest territory of France and, by extension, the European Union.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he will declare a national mourning period and planned to visit in the coming days after “this tragedy that has shaken each of us.”
Mayotte resident Fahar Abdoulhamidi described the aftermath as chaotic. In Mamoudzou, the capital, destruction was total — schools, hospitals, restaurants and offices were in ruins. Roofs were ripped from homes, and palm trees were half-shorn from winds that exceeded 220 kph (136 mph), according to the French weather service.
“Mayotte is totally devastated,” French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said, with the ministry estimating 70% of the population was gravely affected.
As of Monday evening, the ministry confirmed 21 deaths at hospitals, with 45 people in critical condition. But French Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq warned that any estimates were likely major undercounts “compared to the scale of the disaster.”
Electricity was down across the archipelago, with only the capital spared. Telecommunications were severely disrupted, with most antennas knocked out of service. Authorities were concerned about a shortage of drinking water.
The French Red Cross described the devastation as “unimaginable” and said rescuers were still searching for bodies. The damage, including to Mayotte’s sole airport, has left some areas inaccessible to emergency teams.
Many people ignored the cyclone warnings in the 24 hours before the storm hit, underestimating its power.
“Nobody believed it would be that big,” Abdoulhamidi told The Associated Press by phone. “Those who live in bangas stayed in despite the cyclone, fearing their homes would be looted,” he said, referring to the island’s informal settlements.
Even worse, many migrants avoided shelters out of fear of deportation, Abdoulhamidi said.
Mayotte is a densely populated archipelago between Madagascar and the African continent of more than 320,000 people, according to the French government. Most residents are Muslim and French authorities have estimated another 100,000 migrants live there from as far away as Somalia.
“There’s no water, no electricity. Hunger is starting to rise. It’s urgent that aid arrives, especially when you see children, babies, to whom we have nothing concrete to offer,” Mayotte Sen. Salama Ramia told BFM-TV.
Chido was a category 4 cyclone, the second strongest on the scale, and the worst to hit Mayotte since the 1930s, Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville, the top French government official in the island group, told Mayotte la 1ere.
Bieuville on Sunday asserted that the death toll was several hundred people and could even be in the thousands. But he added it would be extremely hard to count the deaths and many might never be recorded, in part because of the Muslim tradition of burying people within 24 hours.
Rescue teams and supplies have been sent from France and Reunion. Daily airlifts are delivering 20 tons of water and food to address urgent needs, Retailleau said.
Mayotte’s airport remained closed to civilian flights after its control tower was heavily damaged and was not expected to reopen until at least Thursday, authorities said.
Mayotte’s main hospital suffered extensive water damage to the surgery, intensive care, emergency and maternity departments, according to Darrieussecq, the health minister. Retailleau said a field hospital will arrive on Thursday.
The Interior Ministry said 1,500 additional personnel, including 800 civilian and military security teams, were being sent deployed, including 400 gendarmes and engineers for infrastructure repair.
The ministry said additional police and gendarmerie officers would “help the population and prevent potential looting.”
Mayotte’s people have previously said their archipelago suffers from underinvestment and neglect by the French government. Around three-quarters of the population lives in poverty, with a median annual disposable income roughly one-eighth that of the Paris metropolitan area, according to the French statistics agency INSEE.
The territory has also faced political unrest and rising support for the far-right National Rally party, reflecting deep dissatisfaction with the political status quo. Last year, the French army moved to quell protests after a drought and mismanagement led to water shortages.
After pummeling Mayotte, Cyclone Chido continued west and made landfall Sunday in Mozambique, where it killed three people, injured 34 and destroyed classrooms in four schools. In neighboring Malawi, Chido killed two people.
December through to March is cyclone season in the southwestern Indian Ocean, and southern Africa has been hammered in recent years. Cyclone Idai in 2019 killed more than 1,300 people, mostly in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Cyclone Freddy left more than 1,000 dead across several countries in the Indian Ocean and southern Africa last year.
The European Parliament observed a minute of silence Monday for Chido's victims, with the chamber's President Roberta Metsola saying “Mayotte is Europe, and Europe will not abandon you."
Adamson reported from Paris and Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa. Associated Press writers Tom Nouvian in Paris and Monika Pronczuk in Dakar, Senegal, contributed to this report.
This photo provided on Monday Dec. 16, 2024 by the Civil Security shows residents and rescue workers walking in a damaged street in French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after the island was battered by its worst cyclone in nearly a century. (UIISC7/Securite Civile via AP)
This photo provided on Monday Dec. 16, 2024 by the Civil Security shows part of the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after the island was battered by its worst cyclone in nearly a century. (UIISC7/Securite Civile via AP)
This photo provided on Monday Dec. 16, 2024 by the Civil Security shows residents and rescue workers walking in a damaged street in French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after the island was battered by its worst cyclone in nearly a century. (UIISC7/Securite Civile via AP)
This photo provided on Monday Dec. 16, 2024 by the Civil Security shows part of the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after the island was battered by its worst cyclone in nearly a century. (UIISC7/Securite Civile via AP)
A man walk in a damaged street in Mamoudzou, in the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, Monday, Dec.16, 2024 and France uses ships and military aircraft to rush rescue workers and supplies after the island group was battered by its worst cyclone in nearly a century. (AP Photo/Rainat Aliloiffa)
A fallen tree lies in Mamoudzou, in the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, Monday, Dec.16, 2024 as France uses ships and military aircraft to rush rescue workers and supplies after the island group was battered by its worst cyclone in nearly a century. (AP Photo/Rainat Aliloiffa)
People walk by damaged constructions in Mamoudzou, in the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, Monday, Dec.16, 2024 as France uses ships and military aircraft to rush rescue workers and supplies after the island group was battered by its worst cyclone in nearly a century. (AP Photo/Rainat Aliloiffa)
Debris are seen in a street of Mamoudzou, in the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, Monday, Dec.16, 2024 and France uses ships and military aircraft to rush rescue workers and supplies after the island group was battered by its worst cyclone in nearly a century. (AP Photo/Rainat Aliloiffa)
This photo provided on Monday Dec.16, 2024 by the Gendarmerie Nationale, shows a member of the Gendarmerie Nationale watching an armored vehicle clearing a road Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Mayotte as France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean that has suffered widespread destruction. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This photo provided on Monday Dec.16, 2024 by the Gendarmerie Nationale, shows a member of the Gendarmerie Nationale watching debris Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Mayotte as France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean that has suffered widespread destruction. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This photo provided on Monday Dec.16, 2024 by the Gendarmerie Nationale, shows fallen trees along a road Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Mayotte as France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean that has suffered widespread destruction. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This photo provided on Monday Dec.16, 2024 by the Gendarmerie Nationale, shows an armored vehicle of the Gendarmerie Nationale clearing a road Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Mayotte as France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean that has suffered widespread destruction. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This photo provided on Monday Dec.16, 2024 by the Gendarmerie Nationale, shows members of the Gendarmerie Nationale sawing a tree that fell on a road Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Mayotte as France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean that has suffered widespread destruction. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This photo provided Monday, Dec.16, 2024 by the Gendarmerie Nationale shows French Gendarmes clearing a road, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Mayotte as France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean that has suffered widespread destruction. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This photo provided Monday, Dec.16, 2024 by the Gendarmerie Nationale shows vehicles of the Gendarmerie Nationale driving on a road Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Mayotte as France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean that has suffered widespread destruction. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This photo provided Monday, Dec.16, 2024 by the Gendarmerie Nationale shows a vehicle of the Gendarmerie Nationale on a road Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Mayotte as France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean that has suffered widespread destruction. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This photo provided Monday, Dec.16, 2024 by the Gendarmerie Nationale shows a vehicle of the Gendarmerie Nationale clearing a road Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Mayotte as France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean that has suffered widespread destruction. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This photo provided Monday, Dec.16, 2024 by the Gendarmerie Nationale shows Gendarmes clearing a road, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Mayotte as France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean that has suffered widespread destruction. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This photo provided on Monday Dec.16, 2024 by the Gendarmerie Nationale, shows an armored vehicle clearing a road Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Mayotte as France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean that has suffered widespread destruction. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This photo provided on Monday Dec.16, 2024 by the Gendarmerie Nationale, shows a French Gendarme walking in among debris Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Mayotte as France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean that has suffered widespread destruction. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers patrolling in a military truck in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows a soldier looking at damages in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows palm tress during strong winds in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities, Saturday Dec.14, 2024. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This undated photo provided by NGO Medecins du Monde on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, shows a devastated hill on the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. (Medecins du Monde via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers patrolling in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers removing fallen trees in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers at work to restore a building in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities, Saturday Dec.14, 2024. (Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This image taken from video released by the Gendarmerie Nationale, shows massive damage from Cyclone Chido in the French territory of Mayotte, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This image taken from video released by the Gendarmerie Nationale, shows massive damage from Cyclone Chido in the French territory of Mayotte, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Gendarmerie Nationale via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers loading relief for the island of Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities, Saturday Dec.14, 2024 in Orleans, central France. (Laure-Anne Maucorps/ Etat Major des Armées via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the Civil Security shows soldiers and rescue workers clearing a street in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities, Saturday Dec.14, 2024. (UIISC7/Securite civile via AP)
This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the Civil Security shows rescue workers clearing an area in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities, Saturday Dec.14, 2024. (UIISC7/Securite civile via AP)