Bengals Stock Report: Ravens game proves we’re not a team to be messed with
Once upon a midnight cheery, while I caroused, dazed and bleary,
About many a wild and thrilling volume of gridiron play—
While I exalted, nearly crying, there came a joy so satisfying,
As of something gently tugging, tugging at my heartstrings core.
“’Tis some memories,” I realized, “tugging at my heartstrings core—
31 years and so much more.”
But the Ravens, prevailing bullies in decades past, drove deeply
That final quarter, as if my soul in that drive they hoped to crush.
Nothing farther than a single yard—the endzone easily beckoned—
Till I scarcely more than muttered “I’ve seen this happen too many times before—”
On the goal line Logan rose to meet the ball, then Hubbard turned to score.
Quoth the Bengals “Nevermore.”
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
“Mike,” said I, “and Katie, truly your forgiveness I implore;
See the fact is I was yearning, with each lost season so much hurting,
And so patiently you were building, building a team we could adore,
That I scarce was sure I would see”—because I recall what came before;—
I enjoy nights like this even more.
Stock Up:
Playoff Victories. It is well documented but is worth repeating: The Bengals went 31 years between playoff victories. On the Jan. 6, 1991, broadcast of the Bengals playoff win over the Houston Oilers, the sideline reporter for NBC Sports was a beloved sports personality at the time, O.J. Simpson. Back then, Bill Clinton was still the governor of Arkansas, the sitcom Seinfeld had recently premiered, Brett Favre hadn’t yet been drafted, Tom Brady was still in middle school and Michael Jordan had yet to win an NBA Title. Needless to say, it was a very long time to wait. An entire generation of lifelong Bengals fans had never experienced a single playoff victory.
Then came last season and the magic carpet ride our team, city and fanbase all went on. 0 for 31. We now have four playoff wins in two seasons. The Bengals franchise only had five total playoff wins over its first 53 years of existence. With another win this coming Sunday over the Bills, the Bengals will have doubled their playoff victories in just two postseasons. As a Bengals fanbase, we were starved for postseason success for decades. We need to pause and savor each playoff win we get.
Sam Hubbard. The Baltimore Ravens were 1 yard away from scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of a deadlocked 17-17 Bengals-Ravens playoff game. That’s when Logan Wilson and Sam Hubbard combined for one of the greatest plays in Bengals franchise history. Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley took the snap and leapt high, attempting to stretch the ball across the goal-line. Bengals linebacker Wilson met Huntley at the high point, just inches from the endzone, to stuff and bat the ball away. The football essentially fell into the waiting arms of Hubbard, who raced 98 yards to the opposite end zone to secure a historic touchdown. Hubbard’s touchdown is the longest fumble return touchdown in NFL playoff history.
Hubbard is a lifelong Cincinnati Kid. He grew up a Bengals fan. He won a state championship for Cincinnati Moeller High School. He won a National Championship at The Ohio State University. He signed a long-term deal to remain with his hometown Bengals in 2021 as they were coming off five straight losing seasons. On Sunday night, he cemented his place forever in Cincinnati immortality.
After last night, the title of Hubbard’s life story should read “I Am Legend.” Life would be good being a part of Hubbard’s crew when spending a night out in Cincinnati because Hubbard will never have to pay for another meal or drink again in the Queen City. Hubbard’s touchdown, now being called by some “the Fumble in the Jungle,” joins other memorable defensive plays from the past two years as the greatest plays in Bengals history. Germaine Pratt’s interception to seal the Bengals first playoff win in 31 years will never be forgotten in Cincinnati. Vonn Bell’s overtime interception in the AFC Championship Game set the stage for Evan McPherson’s field goal that sent the Bengals to the Super Bowl. If the Bengals get to and win a Super Bowl this year, the Fumble in the Jungle may vault to the top of the list.
The Ravens Rivalry. These teams don’t like each other. I love it. This is what rivalries should be. Divisional foes, the Bengals and Ravens met in consecutive weeks and the disdain for the other was clearly on display in both games.
Following the regular season finale, multiple Bengals defenders accused the Ravens of being “dirty.” “There was a lot of cheap [stuff] going on,” Bengals’ Cam Taylor-Britt said. “Just know that we owe them. Even though we won this, we owe them. … It was a lot of late stuff. Just after the play, doing dirty stuff you shouldn’t do in football.”
In the playoff game, the Ravens’ Marcus Peters tackled Bengals running back Joe Mixon to the ground and was flagged for taunting afterwards. Upon closer inspection, it appears Peters actually hit Mixon in the stomach as he lay on the ground.
Peters had to cover the Bengals Ja’Marr Chase for most of the night. Words were often exchanged between the two, with Chase even flexing in Peters’ face following a catch. When asked afterwards how he felt about his history with Peters, Chase said “Listen, I have nothing to say about that dude. Nothing.”
Even the coaches, Zac Taylor and John Harbaugh, had an icy exchange at the post game “handshake.” Bengals-Ravens should be must-watch television next year when these two rivals meet again.
Zac Taylor’s Playoff Game Ball Tradition. After last year’s first playoff win, Zac Taylor said he was going to give a game ball to the city of Cincinnati. Then he literally did so. Taylor showed up at a few bars in Cincinnati later that night to personally deliver the fan base their game balls.
Taylor said that night that he was starting a new tradition. After every playoff win, he or his players would personally deliver game balls to Bengals bars throughout the area to thank the fans for their support. Taylor was at it again Sunday night following the Bengals playoff win over the Ravens. How cool is this? You’re drinking at your favorite watering hole, celebrating your favorite team’s big playoff win, and the head coach shows up to say thank you and deliver a game ball?! This is why Taylor is my guy. He knows that to build connections with the fans, you’ve got to meet them at the neighborhood bar.
Stock Down:
Offensive Line Health. All offseason, the offensive line was the Bengals organization’s top priority…the biggest gap they had to close in order to realize a championship. They addressed it aggressively through free agency and the draft. For most of the season, the fruits of their labor had paid off as the unit was performing well. For 15 weeks, the Bengals started the same five offensive lineman. In three consecutive games, however, the Bengals have now lost a starter up front. It’s a patchwork group again, which includes some players from last season that caused the unit to be a liability in the playoffs. The more things change, the more things stay the same. One year later, the Bengals are back in the same spot with the offensive line being their biggest hurdle to winning a championship.
Once again, the Bengals find themselves just two games away from the Super Bowl. And once again, they will likely have to accomplish that feat on the road. Next up, the Buffalo Bills in a game that’s full of story lines coming off the Monday Night Game that was canceled due to the Damar Hamlin emergency. Beat the Bills and the Bengals would likely find themselves going to Kansas City again to play the Chiefs for the right to go to the Super Bowl.
It will be a monumental task for sure. The Chiefs and Bills have been the odds-on Super Bowl favorites since the start of this season and have the best odds to be holding up the Lombardi Trophy at year’s end. But neither the Chiefs nor the Bills are the defending AFC Conference Champions.
I started this piece by using a poem, the Raven, by famed Baltimore resident, Edgar Allan Poe. It was my personal entry into the Bengals-Ravens war of words, manipulating the poem that inspired the Baltimore franchise’s mascot into an ode to our Bengals instead. I’ll leave you by commandeering another notable literary passage from a Baltimore legend. The Bills and maybe the Chiefs…They Have To Play Us! We are the reigning Kings of the AFC. To quote Baltimore’s own Omar Devone Little of The Wire: “You come at the king, you best not miss!” Who-Dey?!
Jon Bunch is an avid life-long Bengals fanatic. Raised in the 740. West Pointer, Army and Iraq War veteran. Passionate evangelist of the Who-Dey spirit. @WhoDeyBunch
