CINCINNATI – Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow sat on the sideline during Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders, staring and brooding.

At various points during the season, Burrow made his dissatisfaction clear when Cincinnati failed to break .500 by halftime. But in this case, Burrow couldn't have had a much better day. The Bengals defeated the Raiders 41-24 in what he called a “must-win” contest, and according to ESPN, Burrow became the first player in franchise history to have multiple games with five or more passing touchdowns in a single season Research.

That wasn't enough to satisfy him. The offense stalled in the third quarter. A bubble screen intended for wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. And given that the Bengals still have a losing record (4-5) heading into Week 10, Sunday's game was nothing to smile about.

“The way this season has gone, knowing what’s ahead, knowing what we need to do to get back into this season, one win isn’t going to make or break our season,” Burrow said. “I will strive for perfection every day and in every game.

“So, until that happens, what’s there to be happy about?”

Broadcast cameras captured Burrow's sour mood until the final seconds of the much-needed victory. Had the Bengals lost, they would have fallen even further behind teams in playoff contention including the Baltimore Ravens (6-3), fellow AFC North member, whom Cincinnati will face on the road on Thursday.

The Raiders (2-7), already struggling early in the weekend, had even bigger problems Sunday when five players suffered ankle injuries, something coach Antonio Pierce said he had never experienced before.

Cincinnati still hasn't won against a team with a winning record. Entering Week 10, the Bengals have the worst winning percentage of any AFC team. The combined winning percentage of the teams Cincinnati has beaten is .222.

When asked if Sunday's performance was good enough to beat a better team, Burrow took several seconds before answering.

“I don’t know,” Burrow said. “It was good enough today.”

Cincinnati's offense performed well despite being without starting wide receiver Tee Higgins (quadriceps) and key running back Zack Moss (neck). Both were inactive for Sunday's game.

The Bengals also made rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton inactive. Burton was predicted to play a significant role against the Raiders later in the week, with Higgins a doubt. But he was a healthy scratch after missing Saturday's walk-through, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

After the game, coach Zac Taylor supported Burton but said it was a “necessary move” for the third-round draft pick from Alabama. Taylor said there would be no further disciplinary action against Burton.

“I can sit here and say it was a difficult decision to make him inactive, but based on all the information we had, it was absolutely the right decision,” Taylor said. “And he’s a guy that I think is going to have a really good career here and we’re going to support him.”

Burrow praised the players who have excelled during the absences of Higgins and Burton. Mike Gesicki became the first Bengals tight end to have 100 or more receiving yards and catch two touchdowns since Tyler Eifert accomplished the feat in 2015, also against the Raiders. Eifert, who last played for the Bengals in 2019, was in attendance Sunday and took part in the team's pregame ceremonies.

Cincinnati's defense also put in a strong performance. Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson recorded four sacks, a career-best. He forced one of Las Vegas' two fumbles, which Cincinnati recovered.

After the game, veteran defensive end Sam Hubbard repeated what Burrow had said, saying he wasn't happy.

“If we want to do anything this season, we have to win this game,” Hubbard said.

In a year in which a lot of things didn't go like Cincinnati, the Bengals had a lot to be happy about. But Burrow had other things on his mind.

“I’m not just going to ignore the bad and focus on the great thing we did today,” Burrow said. “I don’t think this is a recipe for improvement. I don’t think that’s a recipe for getting better.”