The Bengals suffered a tough loss to the visiting Texans on a late field goal Sunday, but what played out just prior to that has been the primary topic of conversation coming out of the game.
After driving all the way downfield with a chance to take the lead, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow threw to wide receiver Tyler Boyd in the end zone, but Boyd dropped the third-and-goal pass, resulting in the team settling for a field goal to tie the game.
Despite the pivotal drop, Burrow was quick to defend Boyd, who declined to speak to the media after the 30-27 loss.
“We wouldn’t have even been down there if it wasn’t for him,” Burrow told reporters. “Obviously, you’d like to come down with it, but we were able to go down there and tie it up. [We would have] liked to punch it in, make them go down and score a touchdown in that situation, but we were able to tie it up.”
Indeed, Boyd hauled in a 64-yard catch earlier in that same drive that helped lead to the tying field goal. The wideout had a strong day overall, with eight catches for 117 yards while stepping up for the injured Tee Higgins.
The Bengals (5–4) play at the Ravens (7–3) on Thursday Night Football this week, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET at M&T Bank Stadium.