Bengals are back! Best memes and tweets as Joe Burrow, Cincy make SNF statement

The Cincinnati Bengals looked to be in rough shape early on this season due to quarterback Joe Burrow suffering a calf injury early on in training camp. Burrow wasn't 100 percent and couldn't move effectively in the pocket. Even so, the expectation was that once Burrow's calf fully healed, the Bengals would be in much better shape. Entering Week 9, the Bengals had won their previous three games, moving them up to 4-3 on the season.

Burrow had perhaps his best game of the season, and it came against a playoff contender in primetime.

On Sunday night, the Bengals defeated the Buffalo Bills 24-18. This comes after Burrow threw for a season-high 348 at the expense of the Bills defense. With this victory, fans felt Burrow was indeed back to his clutch form and now presents a danger for the other playoff contenders in the AFC.

Let's look at some of the reactions on social media after Burrow and the Bengals' big night.

Social media reacts to Joe Burrow, Bengals win over Bills in Week 9

Burrow didn't waste time putting points on the board for the Bengals, as he led the team downfield 75 yards in nine plays on the opening drive, culminating in a six-yard touchdown pass to Irv Smith Jr., giving the team an early 7-0 lead. After the Bills responded in their first drive of the game with a two-yard touchdown run by Josh Allen to tie the game up, Burrow led the Bengals on another touchdown drive right afterward, with running back Joe Mixon scoring a two-yard touchdown. Just before halftime, Burrow put the Bengals up 21-7 after connecting on a 22-yard touchdown to tight end Drew Sample.

While Cincinnati could only score three points in the second half, Burrow closed out the game on their final drive, connecting with wide receiver Tyler Boyd for a 32-yard gain midfield. Joe Mixon ran for 12 yards on three carries to get the first down, allowing the Bengals to kneel out for the rest of the game to get the win.

There was an injury scare during the game, as he suffered a cut to his index finger on his throwing hand but never exited the game. When speaking with NBC's Melissa Stark, Burrow downplayed the injury, saying, "It's just a little scratch. That's football, baby."

Additionally, Starks asked Burrow what he's been able to do recently that he couldn't at the start of the season, and his answer was "run."

Burrow connected on 31-of-44 pass attempts. His beneficiary was wide receiver Tee Higgins, who caught eight of nine targets for 110 yards.

The Bengals and Burrow are on a roll now that the quarterback is 100 percent and able to extend plays with his legs. The team will look to make it five wins in a row next week when they play the Houston Texans, who are coming off a thrilling 39-37 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.