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          Joe Burrow, Bengals strike early against Bills

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterNov 6, 2023, 01:57 AM
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- Two drives, two offensive touchdowns for the Cincinnati Bengals.

          Cincinnati opened Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills with back-to-back scoring drives. Running back Joe Mixon got into the end zone on a 2-yard run to put the Bengals up 14-7 with 35 seconds left in the first quarter.

          Mixon's score came after tight end Irv Smith Jr. caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Burrow to open the scoring in the first quarter of the prime-time contest at Paycor Stadium. It was Smith's second reception in as many plays. He hauled in an 11-yard pass to get the Bengals in a goal-to-go situation on the opening drive.

          Through the first seven games, Smith had 10 catches for 57 yards and had missed a couple of games with a hamstring injury. Cincinnati also signed tight end Tanner Hudson to the 53-man roster this week after spending the season on the practice squad.

          It was Smith's first touchdown since he signed a one-year deal with the Bengals this past offseason.

          According to ESPN Stats & Information, Cincinnati has scored a touchdown on its opening drive in four straight games, the longest current streak in the NFL this season.

          Smith wasn't the only Bengals tight end to get into the action. Drew Sample turned a checkdown from Burrow into a 22-yard touchdown that not only converted a third down but also gave the Bengals a 21-7 lead with 1:37 left in the first half. It was Sample's second career touchdown. His other one came in 2020 against Houston.