The first two meetings between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens were all about defense, so it was only fitting the rubber match between the AFC North rivals on Wild Card Weekend ended with a defensive highlight for the ages.
Early in the fourth quarter, Sam Hubbard recovered a Tyler Huntley fumble at the Bengals' two-yard line 98 yards for a touchdown. The score gave the Bengals a 24-17 lead from which they wouldn't look back, so it goes down as the game-winner.
It was like nothing most NFL fans have seen before. For starters, Tyler Huntley recklessly leaped for the goal-line from two yards out. He came up short, Logan Wilson knocked the ball loose, and it landed right in Hubbard's path.
Despite a noble effort from Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, who sprinted roughly 80 yards and nearly made a touchdown-saving tackle, Hubbard wasn't caught, the Bengals held on and will now travel to Buffalo in the Divisional Round.
A highlight of this variety and magnitude was bound to break social media, and NFL Twitter didn't know what to do with itself as it happened in real time.
Here's another look, because why not, right?
Sam Hubbard takes the fumble 98 yards for the TD ‼️
— NFL (@NFL) January 16, 2023
📺: #BALvsCIN on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/hNJJJGqxGF pic.twitter.com/PoVImXrfpz
NFL Twitter reacts to Bengals' Sam Hubbard's game-winning defensive TD vs Ravens.
Sam Hubbard has to play defense again now 😅
— Cameron Magruder (@ScooterMagruder) January 16, 2023
Hubbard's reward for covering nearly 125 yards of grass on one play? Going back on the field with the Bengals in need of another defensive stand. But not before he got some much-needed oxygen on the sideline. More on that in a minute.
Sam Hubbard is 6-foot-5, 265. Does that count as a THICC-SIX? I need a ruling. @mikegolicjr
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) January 16, 2023
Good question. It definitely doesn't meet "fat guy touchdown" criteria, so perhaps "thicc-six" is the proper terminology.
Sam Hubbard flexing in an oxygen mask has to go down in history
— dylan is on vacation (@DillySanders) January 16, 2023
It's the lock of the century, especially if the Bengals go on to win the whole thing. If you haven't seen the picture, fix that immediately.
Sam Hubbard for president
— Willie Lutz (@willie_lutz) January 16, 2023
Step aside, Joe Burrow. There's a new sheriff in town, and his name is Sam Hubbard.
Sam Hubbard re-wrote the NFL record book with one play. That 98-yard score was:
— John Breech (@johnbreech) January 16, 2023
• Longest fumble return TD in NFL playoff history
• Longest TD in Bengals playoff history
• Longest go-ahead TD in 4th quarter in playoff history
• T-4th-longest defensive TD in playoff history
So many records. One play. We simply haven't seen anything like this before.
Sam Hubbard be like pic.twitter.com/uuGhvTCQDH
— Joshua Link (@Linkster_) January 16, 2023
Spot the difference. Luckily, Hubbard had a cavalcade of blockers to protect his blindside. This child, I'm afraid, looks to be on her own, but they both had the same objective: outrun the person (or bubbles) chasing them.
What a play by Hubbard and what a win by the Bengals. Again, we don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but this play could go down in Bengals history if Hubbard and company win three more games.