The ball went right to Sam Hubbard, and the defensive end took off down the field. All the way down the field in his hometown — on an unforgettable wild-card run.
Hubbard on Sunday returned Tyler Huntley’s fumble 98 yards for a tiebreaking touchdown in the fourth quarter, helping Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens 24-17 in the first round of the American Football Conference (AFC) playoffs.
“You can’t even dream that one up,” Hubbard said. “It’s pretty special.”
Photo: Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY
Facing third-and-goal at the one with about 12 minutes left, Huntley tried to go over the top of the line for the go-ahead score, but he was stood up by Germaine Pratt and stripped by fellow linebacker Logan Wilson.
Hubbard got the ball at the two, and he was helped along by a convoy of teammates on the longest fumble return for a touchdown in NFL post-season history. It also was the longest go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter in the post-season.
“That’s why you never give up on a play, even inside the two,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.
Moments after the defensive touchdown for the Cincinnati native, with the Paycor Stadium crowd of 66,399 still buzzing, Hubbard sucked on oxygen as he sat on the bench on the sideline.
“To make the play and be the guy to come through is an amazing feeling,” he said.
In Orchard Park, New York, the Buffalo Bills rallied for a 34-31 victory over the AFC’s seventh-seeded and injury-depleted Miami Dolphins in their wild-card playoff game.
Josh Allen shrugged off a three-turnover outing for the three-time defending AFC East champion Bills to avoid a major collapse.
In acknowledging he was hardly at his best, Allen said all that mattered was the final score.
“One-week seasons, man. That’s it,” he said. “All that matters is surviving and advancing. Doesn’t matter how we win, it’s if we win.”
In the night’s other game in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the New York Giants’ Daniel Jones passed for 301 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 78 yards in his first career playoff game for the Giants in a 31-24 wild-card round victory that gave the Minnesota Vikings their first loss in 12 one-score games this season.
“A cornerstone franchise like this with such a rich history, this is what we’re supposed to do,” Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton said. “We’re supposed to go to the playoffs. We’re supposed to be a winning team. We’re just going to keep trying to live up to the legacy that’s been here.”
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