The Bengals supplied the wildest individual moment of wild-card weekend so far when defensive end Sam Hubbard returned a fumble 98 yards for a touchdown.
Sam Hubbard takes the fumble 98 yards for the TD ‼️
— NFL (@NFL) January 16, 2023
: #BALvsCIN on NBC
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Baltimore drove to the 1-yard line and QB Tyler Huntley attempted to score a touchdown on a QB leap. He never broke the goal line and lost the ball after linebacker Logan Wilson forced the fumble.
Hubbard was in the right spot at the right time and fielded the ball in the air at the 2-yard line and took it the other way for the decisive score.
Play-by-play analyst Cris Collinsworth was critical of the decision. The Ravens put running back Gus Edwards, fullback Patrick Ricard and tight end Mark Andrews in the backfield close to the line of scrimmage. They pressed down into the line of scrimmage as Huntley jumped over the offensive line.
Collinsworth suggested Huntley should have kept his feet planted and allowed his blockers to drive him into the endzone, or the Ravens should have spread the offense out so the Bengals defense wasn't crowded at the line of scrimmage. "You do one or the other," said Collinsworth.
Baltimore wanted the best of both worlds and it left Huntley and the football exposed. Wilson and Hubbard did the rest.
The defensive end traveled 123.6 yards on his touchdown, per NFL Next Gen Stats (NGS). That's the most yards traveled by any touchdown scorer this season.
Hubbard's long journey was even bigger in flipping the expected outcome of the game. Per NGS, the Bengals had a 45.8 percent chance of winning prior to the third down play.
After Hubbard's touchdown, the Bengals' chances rose to 87.6%.
Sam Hubbard traveled 123.6 yards on his 98-yd fumble return TD, the most distance traveled by a ball carrier on a TD this season.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 16, 2023
The @Bengals win probability increased by 42% as a result of the play (from 46% → 88%).#BALvsCIN | Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/LPm8vSNM42
The game was tied at 17 prior to the fumble recovery. The play was in essence a 14-point swing in the Bengals' favor. What looked like a sure 24-17 Ravens lead quickly turned into a lead for the Bengals by the same score.
It would be the last scoring play of the night.
The play was the longest fumble recovery for a touchdown in postseason history and draws to mind Steelers linebacker James Harrison's memorable 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII against Arizona.
James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII! #Steelers pic.twitter.com/0KXQwarlZu
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) December 6, 2019
That play was one of the most memorable of Pittsburgh's championship win over the Cardinals while Hubbard's merely keeps the Bengals alive in the AFC.
If Cincinnati ends the season as Super Bowl champs, Hubbard's touchdown will be remembered just as fondly by Bengals fans.
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