James Proche will surely be seeing this ball bounce off his fingers in his nightmares for some time.
On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals bested the Baltimore Ravens 24-17 in the AFC Wild Card after a dramatic finish. The difference-maker came down to Sam Hubbard’s stunning 98-yard fumble recovery for the game-winning touchdown, but the Ravens still had hope on their final drive.
With eight seconds left and the Ravens on the Bengals 27-yard line, Tyler Huntley threw a Hail Mary into the end zone on the final play. The ball deflected off a mass of bodies and went right to Proche’s outstretched hands. Unfortunately, the ball bounced off Proche’s fingertips and fell to the ground as the clock hit zero.
The Bengals are heading to the divisional round! #BALvsCIN pic.twitter.com/Ltf4mnFYic
— NFL (@NFL) January 16, 2023
OFF JAMES PROCHE'S FINGERTIPS OH MAN pic.twitter.com/eqH1J3QQW0
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) January 16, 2023
Talk about a brutal way to end your playoff hopes. Sure, if Proche caught the ball and Baltimore tied things up, the Ravens still could have lost in overtime. And yet, it’s still agonizing to see a potential victory slip from your grasp like that.
What an effort from Proche but it just wasn’t to be.
