The Saints and Bengals put together an entertaining first half, with New Orleans taking a 20-14 lead into halftime.
New Orleans took advantage of a Cincinnati fumbled punt return with receiver Tre’Quan Smith catching an 18-yard touchdown from quarterback Andy Dalton to give New Orleans an early 7-0 lead.
The Bengals tied it at 7-7 with running back Joe Mixon’s 9-yard touchdown catch late in the first quarter. But Saints receiver Rashid Shaheed put New Orleans back up 14-7 with his 44-yard touchdown run. Kicker Wil Lutz added a 35-yard field goal to put the Saints up by 10 with 10:28 left in the second quarter.
But quarterback Joe Burrow’s escapability helped the Bengals score their second touchdown midway through the second quarter. It looked like Burrow might be taken down for a sack when the Saints brought pressure on third-and-8, but instead, the quarterback ran for a 19-yard touchdown.
New Orleans responded with a 30-yard field goal by Lutz to take a 20-14 lead.
Dalton is 7-of-15 for 73 yards with a touchdown. Taysom Hill has played some quarterback and completed a 7-yard pass. He’s also gained 39 yards on four carries. Alvin Kamara has 39 yards on four carries, plus two catches for 5 yards.
Burrow is 17-of-25 for 126 yards with a touchdown.
Cincinnati announced defensive tackle Josh Tupou is questionable to return with a calf injury.
