CINCINNATI, Ohio (AP) — The ball ended up in the hands of Sam Hubbard, and the defensive end ran to the other end of the field.
A memorable run in the wild card round.
Hubbard returned a Tyler Huntley fumble 98 yards for a go-ahead touchdown in the final quarter, helping Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens 24-17 Sunday in the wild-card playoff game. of the AFC.
“It’s something you can’t even dream of,” Hubbard said. “It’s something really special.”
On third down and a yard to score with 12 minutes left, Huntley tried to drive over the line of scrimmage to put the Ravens in front. But Germaine Pratt stopped it, and linebacker Logan Wilson caused the fumble.
The ball fell directly into Hubbard’s hands at the 2-yard line, and the defensive end ran the length of the field for the longest fumble return for a touchdown in postseason history. It was also the longest-going touchdown run in the fourth quarter in the playoffs.
“That’s why you never give up on a play, even inside the 2-yard line,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.
Moments after the play by the Cincinnati native, and with the 66,399 spectators at Paycor Stadium still shocked, Hubbard took oxygen and sat on the bench.
“To have been responsible for the play is an incredible feeling,” Hubbard said.
Baltimore got to the Cincinnati 17-yard line at the last second, but Kevin Zeitler called for a holding call and then Huntley threw an incompletion to the end zone on the final play.
“I feel like we controlled the game from start to finish, and it couldn’t have gone our way,” Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews said.
Behind a patched offensive line, Burrow passed for 209 yards and a touchdown for the defending AFC champions. He also scored on a one-yard run a week after the Bengals beat the Ravens 27-16 in the final game of the regular schedule.
Up next for Cincinnati is a trip to Buffalo for a repeat of their Week 17 matchup that was canceled after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field. With Hamlin watching from home, Buffalo advanced Sunday with a 34-31 win over Miami.
Baltimore heads into the offseason with doubts about the future of its star quarterback, Lamar Jackson.
