Bengals not the first team to dunk on Cardinals with an offensive lineman

In a season filled with not a lot of fun for the Cincinnati Bengals, they sure looked to be making up for lost time on Sunday in their 37-14 victory over the Buffalo Bills. 

The Bengals had so much fun that they were able to sit their starters in the fourth quarter. 

However, one highlight out of the cascade of many for the Cincinnati club was an out-of-the-ordinary pass from Joe Burrow to a special “wide receiver” on his birthday. 

Happy birthday, Mr. Ford!

Late in the third quarter, after the game was already out of hand, Burrow took a shotgun snap and threw a curl route to Cody Ford Jr. He wears the number 61 if you did not know—a number reserved for offensive and defensive linemen. At least, that is usually the case. 

But this was no ordinary case. 

On what we all expected to be just a normal drop-back as the Bengals inched closer to Arizona’s red zone, the Burrow-Ford connection turned into something memorable and fun. 

As you notice in the play, Ford showed some skills that receivers learn early in their development. 

First, Ford did not wait for the ball to come to him. He attacked the ball in the air, creating further separation from the defender. Then, he watched the ball all the way into his hands and secured the catch without letting the ball get into his body, something he surely learned by watching Tee Higgins.  

Finally, natural selection took over as Ford bullied his way down the field, earning yards after the catch, or what the kids call “yac.”

One of the best reactions came in real time from Burrow as he witnessed Ford not only catch the pass, but turn it upfield for a 21-yard gain, breaking tackles along the way. 

Not first time a team has tried this on Cardinals’ defense

The adage is that the NFL is a copycat league. When one team exploits a weakness in another, other teams will follow suit until that team shows it can stop it. 

As it turns out, the Cardinals are just as bad at covering offensive linemen as the Bengals defense has been at defending tight ends all year. 

In Week 13, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown to All-World left tackle Tristan Wirfs. 

The difference between Ford’s reception and Wirf’s is that there was no attempt on the Bengals’ part to trick Arizona’s defense. They lined up Ford on the outside, as a receiver, whereas Wirfs was in line and then went out into his route. 

What Ford and Wirfs have in common is that they both looked comfortable catching the ball, although the higher level of difficulty and sheer impressiveness go to Ford.

Not first extraordinary gift this week for Bengals' offensive line

It was not the first gift for Ford and the Bengals’ offensive linemen this holiday season. As ESPN’s Ben Baby reported and the broadcast repeated, Joe Burrow bought his bodyguards a rather unique gift: rare, surely unimaginably expensive animal fossils.

Thanks to his postgame interview, we now know that if the opportunity presented itself, the Bengals planned to add to Ford’s holiday/birthday bounty. It did, so they did. 

Now, Ford has a game ball to add to a unique wall of memories from his 2025 NFL season. 

What the Burrow and Ford gave the Cardinals this holiday season is more game film to study so that they can limit offensive linemen receiving production next season.

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