Bengals 27 Vikings 24 (OT)
They won. The Bengals won. They freakin won that game!
Don’t ask me how, because I can’t explain it. Are you kidding me?
The Bengals rallied from a 17-3 4th quarter deficit, then rallied down 24-17 to tie the game with :38 left in regulation, then won in overtime Saturday afternoon at Paycor.
The Bengals have won three straight to stand 8-6 and alive in the playoff chase.
Winner: The Bengals went three and out on the first possession of overtime. The Vikings moved to the Bengals 42, but the Bengals stuffed Nick Mullens on 3rd & 1 and 4th & 1 dives! Then, facing 3rd & 9, Browning rolled, extended a play and made a beauty of a 44-yard throw to Tyler Boyd to the Minnesota 13. A couple of plays later, Evan McPherson booted a 29-yard game winner with 3:25 left in OT.
No way! Trailing 24-17 with 3:48 left in the game, the Bengals took over, but without Ja’Marr Chase (shoulder injury). Browning drove them 10 plays/75 yards, lobbing a 21-yard pass to Tee Higgins. He caught the ball at the one-yard line, pivoted with a defender on him, and extended the ball over the goal line for a game tying a TD with :39 left in regulation.
Circle the sequence: Tied at 17 with 7:00 left, Germaine Pratt’s Pick 6 was wiped out by an offsides on Trey Hendrickson. Five plays later, Nick Mullens scrambled, extended a play, and found Jordan Addison for a 1-yard TD to make it 24-17 Vikings with 3:48 left in the game.
Brutal: DJ Reader was carted off with a knee injury on the opening drive and DJ Ivey left with a knee injury near the end of the 1st quarter. Neither returned. Players were going down left and right all day.
Offense
Back-to-Back-to-Back: The Vikings defense hadn’t allowed a TD in three games. The Bengals scored three in the 4th quarter, on consecutive drives.
Trailing 17-3, Browning connected on a 13-yard TD to Tee Higgins on the first play of the 4th QT to make it 17-10. Mixon then capped a 75 yard drive with a 4th & goal score from inside the one yard line to tie the game at 17. Down 24-17, Browning connected with Higgins on a TD play you will have to see to believe to knot the game at 24.
Regrettable: The Bengals were rolling on their opening drive when Tanner Hudson lost four yards trying to throw on a 3rd & 1 jet sweep toss at the Vikings 12 yard line. They settled for a 34-yard FG on an 11 plays/60 yard opening drive.
Browning: 29-42-324-2 TD, INT. Rating 97.7. 4 sacks. Hung tough on the blitz for a 25-yard throw to Chase. Missed Charlie Jones on a 3rd & 15 deep ball that Jones downshifted slightly on that would have been a TD. Targets to RB/TE: 20. WR: 22. Hit 11 different guys! Had 9 straight completions into the 4th QT. Took 3rd & 10 intentional grounding, but then converted 3rd & 21 to Chase in the 4th.
Run game: 22-80, TD. Joe Mixon: 10-47-TD. Missed a series with an injury (hip?). 3-14 catches. Chase Brown: 7-23. Went to the medical tent. 3-28 catches.
OL shuffle: Cody Ford Alex replaced Alex Cappa(knee) for a 2d quarter series at RG.
The Trio: Chase: 4-64...Higgins: 4-61-2 TD. 1st TD Week 2. Dropped 1st pass of game.....Boyd: 2-63
Defense
What on OT stand: W/o DJ Reader, they snuffed out Mullens on 3rd and 4th and 1 to save the game
Sack men: Trey Hendrickson 1.5 sacks to set a career best 15th.
Myles Murphy got his 3rd sack of the year late in the 1st half.
Again! The defense got another red zone stop/turnover. Mike Hilton perfectly timed a blitz for a run stuff loss, then two plays later picked off a Mullens pass at the goal line.
That’s five red zone takeaways by the D in the last nine games!
Big play BJ! Hill stripped/INT Mullens from his backside with :20 left in the half at the Bengals 30 yard line. That’s a pick in back-to-back weeks!
What woes? The Vikings marched 12 plays/75 yards for a TD and a 7-3 lead after the Reader injury. It was Minnesota’s first TD in the 1st quarter since Week 5. The Vikings had scored just 26 points in the 1st quarter this season.
Ouch: Falling backwards, Mullens hit Jordan Addison for a 3rd & 8 shoe top catch and run 37 yard TD.It capped a 92 yard drive to start the 2nd half and make it 14-3. DJ Turner sold out for the pick, one of multiple times he appeared to be victimized on the day.
Special Teams
DJ Ivey suffered a knee injury in 1st QT punt coverage and was carted off in tears.
Brad Robbins 36 yard punt to Minnesota 34? 56 yarder in OT.