NFL playoffs highlights Sam Hubbard’s 98-yard TD powers Bengals past Ravens

The Ravens’ Tyler Huntley threw an incomplete pass on fourth and 20 from Cincinnati’s 27-yard line with eight seconds left, ending the game but not before the ball hit the hands of Baltimore’s James Proche in the end zone. The Bengals emerged — likely with a great sense of relief — with a hard-fought, 24-17 win over their divisional rival.

Since that 98-yard fumble return, the Ravens and Bengals have punted four times, so here’s another fascinating factoid regarding Sam Hubbard’s field-long jaunt.

According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, the almost 124 yards traveled by Cincinnati’s Sam Hubbard across the field on his fumble return were the most by any touchdown-scoring ballcarrier this season. Hubbard, for what it’s worth, is listed at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds and was seen getting oxygen afterward on the Bengals’ sideline.

You simply never, ever, ever extend the ball toward the goal line on a quarterback sneak into a huge pile of players. That’s why. Tyler Huntley has played really well in this game, but that huge blunder could be the play the Ravens are unable to overcome. And no, the ball did not reach the goal line before the fumble.

Cincinnati defensive end Sam Hubbard ran a fumble back 98 yards for a touchdown after Baltimore’s Tyler Huntley lost the ball while trying to stretch it across the goal line on a third-and-goal play from the 1-yard line. The stunning turn of events helped give the Bengals a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter.

The third quarter ended with a pair of Ravens runs, following a Bengals punt after a three-and-out, which was preceded by Baltimore’s game-tying touchdown. Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow has 195 yards and a touchdown on 21-of-27 passing, while the Ravens’ Tyler Huntley has completed 12 of 16 passes for 154 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Eli Apple bit on the slant-and-go pattern by Demarcus Robinson. Tyler Huntley made the throw. The Lamar Jackson-less Ravens are giving the Bengals a tougher test than anyone rightfully could have expected. It’s a tie game as the fourth quarter nears.

Ravens wide receiver Demarcus Robinson got behind Cincinnati’s secondary and Tyler Huntley hit him for a 41-yard touchdown that helped tie the contest at 17. In contrast to a game that had been mostly a slugfest, Baltimore’s five-play scoring drive featured several big plays, including a 27-yard catch-and-run by J.K. Dobbins after Huntley evaded a sack.

The Bengals are back in the lead, but nothing is coming easily now. The offensive line is depleted, most recently by tonight’s knee injury suffered by left tackle Jonah Williams. The Ravens’ pass rush has Joe Burrow under pressure and on the run. But he is a team-lifting quarterback, and he continues to get it done.

A Joe Burrow quarterback sneak — plus a Tee Higgins two-point conversion after a Ravens pass-interference penalty handed the Bengals a second shot — gave Cincinnati a 17-10 lead. One play before, Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst, a former Ravens first-round pick, caught a pass and was ruled to have been tackled just short of the goal line.

The Bengals’ postseason bid to reach a second straight Super Bowl is not off to a great start.

They trail the undermanned Ravens, 10-9, at halftime of their first-round AFC playoff game Sunday night in Cincinnati. And the Bengals suffered a key first-half injury, as left tackle Jonah Williams exited the game.

The third-seeded Bengals scored the game’s first nine points, as kicker Evan McPherson connected on a field goal and quarterback Joe Burrow threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. But McPherson missed the extra point, and the Bengals struggled from there.

The Ravens took the lead at 10-9 after Justin Tucker kicked a 22-yard field goal with seven seconds left in the first half. Baltimore had driven to Cincinnati’s 3-yard line but then lost a yard over three plays.