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Cincinnati Bengals beat Baltimore Ravens Joe Burrow Ja’Marr Chase Sam Hubbard
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CINCINNATI (AP) — 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 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 AFC playoffs on Sunday night.
“You can’t even dream that one up,” Hubbard said. “It’s pretty special.”
Facing third-and-goal at the 1 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 2, and he was helped along by a convoy of teammates on the longest fumble return for a touchdown in NFL postseason history. It also was the longest go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter in the postseason.
“That’s why you never give up on a play, even inside the 2,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.
Moments after the defensive TD 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,” Hubbard said.
Baltimore drove down to the Cincinnati 17 in the final minute, but Kevin Zeitler was flagged for holding and Huntley threw incomplete to the end zone on the final play.
“I feel like we controlled this game from start to finish, and it just didn’t turn our way,” Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews said.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Huntley was supposed to go low on the play that resulted in the fumble.
“That’s the way the play is designed,” he said. “We felt that was the best call. We just didn’t execute it right.”
Playing behind a patchwork offensive line, Burrow passed for 209 yards and a touchdown for the AFC North champions. He also had a 1-yard touchdown run a week after the Bengals beat the Ravens 27-16 in the regular-season finale.
A year after Cincinnati made a surprise run to the Super Bowl, it won a playoff game for the second straight postseason for the first time in franchise history.
“Hard-fought. That’s how it is in the playoffs, especially when you play a divisional team for a third time,” Burrow said. “It’s never going to be easy.”
Next up for Cincinnati (13-4) is a trip to Buffalo for a rematch of their Week 17 game that was canceled after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field. With Hamlin watching from home, Buffalo advanced with a 34-31 victory over Miami on Sunday.
Playing without Lamar Jackson once again because of the quarterback’s knee injury, Baltimore (10-8) managed two offensive touchdowns for the first time since Nov. 27. Huntley passed for 226 yards and two TDs, but he also had a costly interception.
Hubbard’s dramatic trip to the end zone sent the Ravens into a uncertain offseason centered around the future of Jackson, who is eligible for free agency. The 2019 MVP got hurt during a 10-9 win against Denver on Dec. 4, and he did not travel with the team to Cincinnati for the playoff game.
Huntley was intercepted by Cincinnati linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither on the second attempt of his first postseason start. The Bengals turned the miscue into Burrow’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase early in the second quarter, but they had to settle for a 9-0 lead after Evan McPherson missed the extra point.
Huntley stepped up after the early trouble, leading the Ravens on a 17-play, 75-yard drive that lasted more than 10 minutes. J.K. Dobbins got Baltimore on the board when he stretched the ball over the goal line for a 2-yard touchdown reception.
A fumble by former Baltimore tight end Hayden Hurst set up Justin Tucker’s 22-yard field goal in the final seconds of the first half, giving the Ravens a 10-9 lead at the break. The biggest play of the scoring drive was a 19-yard reception by Josh Oliver after Huntley had to run back to recover a high snap that went off his hands.
WORTH NOTING
The Bengals lost left tackle Jonah Williams to a left knee injury in the first half. They already were playing without right tackle La’el Collins and right guard Alex Cappa due to injuries.
NOT ANYMORE
Baltimore had been 6-0 on the road in wild-card games.
Sports
The Bruins' strengths + vulnerabilities, and the path to a series victory for the Maple Leafs – MLHS Playoff Podcast – Maple Leafs Hot Stove
Founded in 2008, Maple Leafs Hotstove (MLHS) has grown to be the most visited independent team-focused hockey website online (Quantcast).
Independently owned and operated, MLHS provides thorough and wide-ranging content, varying from news, opinion and analysis, to pre-game and long-form game reviews, and a weekly feature piece entitled “Leafs Notebook.”
MLHS has been cited by: ESPN, Sports Illustrated, CBC News, USA Today, Fox Sports, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, TSN, Sportsnet, Grantland, CTV News, CBSSports, The Globe & Mail, The National Post, The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, Global News, Huffington Post, and many more.
Sports
Start time set for Game 1 in Maple Leafs-Bruins playoff series – Toronto Sun
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Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs will be tuning in a little bit later than usual on Saturday night to see the puck drop for Hockey Night in Canada.
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The NHL announced the start times on Thursday for the Eastern Conference playoff matches and the Leafs and Bruins will faceoff at 8 p.m. ET in Boston on Saturday, a bit later than the usual 7 p.m. puck drop for Toronto.
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The game will be broadcast on CBC and Sportsnet in Canada.
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Saturday’s other game will be the New York Islanders taking on the Carolina Hurricanes at 5 p.m. in Raleigh, N.C.
The other Eastern Conference playoff matchups will start Sunday, with the Battle of Florida between the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning going at 12:30 p.m. and the New York Rangers playing Washington Capitals at 3 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.
With several Western Conference teams wrapping up their regular-season slates on Thursday, the remainder of the playoff schedule is yet to set.
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The Maple Leafs also announced Thursday that the tailgate at Maple Leaf Square will open its gates at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Fans must register for a free mobile pass to be admitted to tailgates with passes available only on the Toronto Maple Leafs app and are non-transferable. Passes are available at 1 p.m. ET the day before each confirmed game with each fan permitted up to two passes per game.
Ahead of puck-drop, fans in the Square will be able to enjoy giveaways, special guests, a live DJ and more.
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How the NHL moved the Arizona Coyotes to Salt Lake City – Sportsnet.ca
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