The Cincinnati Bengals had defensive end Sam Hubbard to thank for their playoff victory against Baltimore Ravens, as he scored the decisive touchdown on Wild Card Weekend.
With the scores tied at 17-17 in the fourth quarter, the game was on a knife edge as the Ravens started to believe they could beat their divisional rivals, even without Lamar Jackson. But a stunning 98-yard turnover from Hubbard saw him make his way to the opposite endzone, and they ended up being the decisive points.
It was a good game from the Bengals, but nothing amazing from Burrow and his side as they won 24-17. Hubbard has rightly taken a lot of the applause, and even Burrow has commended his team-mate.
Hubbard broke an NFL record as his play was the longest fumble return for a touchdown in postseason history. And the Bengals needed it too, as the Ravens defence held them at bay for the majority of Sunday night.
Burrow only threw for 209 yards, and was failing to produce his usual magic to put the game beyond doubt. Hubbard became the unlikely hero, much to the delight of his quarterback.
"He's kinda what this whole thing is built on," Burrow said about Hubbard. "Toughness, hard work, leadership, those are the kind of guys we try to bring in here.
"And he's one of my best friends and he comes up with big plays over and over and over again. He's a great leader, gets his work done, constant positive attitude in the locker room, exactly the kind of guy you want on your team."
Hubbard couldn't believe his luck, as not only did he pick off the Ravens ball, he managed to make his way downfield without being stopped for a memorable touchdown. "You can't replicate a feeling like that in life," Hubbard said. "It's really special.
"Credit to Logan Wilson punching it out," Hubbard said about the play in his postgame news conference. "Then just being at the right place at the right time, got a few blocks along the way.
"And I was just worried about getting tracked down. I'm glad I made it to the end zone." Ravens star Mark Andrews was chasing down Hubbard hard, but fell at the 30-yard line, which is when the Bengals star knew he'd done enough.
"Yeah, I was watching on the big screen," Hubbard admitted. "I was like 'He's coming, somebody block!' I'm like please, please don't get caught. That's all I was thinking about."
