That blocked punt was – without question – the most fortunate play of the year for the Bengals. It might have been the luckiest play of the year for any NFL team. That’s the kind of play that gets people talking about “Teams of Destiny,” only the Bengals are preposterously far from a team of destiny.
When the Dallas Cowboys blocked Bengals’ punter Ryan Rehkow’s punt late in the fourth quarter, the result was a forgone conclusion…for about five seconds. The Cowboys were about to take possession well within kicker Brandon Aubrey’s range. There was less than two minutes of game time left. Once the punt was blocked, all they had to do was not touch the football (this is one of those quirky NFL rules, but a punt that goes beyond the line of scrimmage cannot be recovered by the punting team unless the ball has been touched by the receiving team). The Cowboys couldn’t help themselves.
Make no mistake: this was a game the Bengals should have lost. But, for Bengals fans, it’s fascinating seeing the shoe on the other foot for once. What happened to Dallas last night has been the story of the Bengals since Week One. No team in the NFL has invented more ingenious ways to lose than the Bengals in 2024 – but as of today, it’s possible the Cowboys just elbowed their way into that ignominious conversation through one of the most boneheaded plays in recent memory. The Bengals, though, will take it.
With the win, the Bengals are still – by their freaking pinky toe – still in the playoff hunt. According to ESPN, their chances are 3%. Apparently, they have a less than 1% chance to win the division. Hey, after this miserable year, I’ll take those odds any day and twice on Sunday.
And now we’ve gotten to the part where I tell you all about how great Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, and spoiler alert they were. Burrow threw for over 350 yards and three touchdowns. Chase had fourteen receptions for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Burrow found Chase along the sideline for the game-winning 40-yard touchdown. They are both, simply put, ridiculous.
If the NFL only cared about numbers, the Bengals would be sweeping the NFL regular-season awards. Burrow currently leads the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns, and Chase leads the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. If the Bengals had ten wins, they would be your league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, and not one person would bat an eye. Instead, they’re lucky to be getting any notoriety at all.
As for the rest of the team…well, it looked a lot like it has for much of the year: up and down. The offensive line had its moments – both good and bad. Somehow, Cowboys superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons finished without a sack or even a tackle in this game, even as the Cowboys collected three sacks and gave Joe Burrow a bum knee. The Bengals run game looked explosive…at times. The Bengals defense managed to get a few stops too (when they weren’t letting a backup quarterback march down the field on them).
Trey Hendrickson continued his exceptional season, grabbing another sack and extending his league-leading total to 12.5. Like Burrow and Chase, if the Bengals had played better football this year, Hendrickson would probably be the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year. The fact that the Bengals have viable candidates for MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year only makes this current season that much more frustrating.
Yet again, the Bengals left us wanting more – but at least we weren’t left wanting a win for once. With a loss last night, the Bengals could have put the finishing touch on this turd sandwich of a season. Instead, they found a way to give their fans a minimum of one more week of meaningful football. Hooray…I think.
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