In a captivating game at Paycor Stadium, the Cincinnati Bengals orchestrated a remarkable comeback on Saturday. Trailing by 14 points in the fourth quarter, they successfully leveled the score and clinched a 27-24 overtime victory with just 3:11 remaining on the clock. Quarterback Jake Browning showcased an impressive performance, amassing 324 passing yards. The decisive moment came when Evan McPherson sealed the win with a 29-yard field goal. This triumph marked a memorable chapter in Paycor Stadium history for the 8-6 Bengals.
In the overtime period, the Bengals secured the coin toss victory but faced a challenging third-and-18 situation after dealing with two sacks. Quarterback Jake Browning skillfully avoided another potential sack and executed a remarkable 30-yard pass to Tee Higgins along the sideline. Despite visible contact that seemed like interference against Higgins near the Bengals’ bench, no penalty was called, leading to Coach Zac Taylor expressing vocal disagreement with the officials’ decision.
Even in the absence of their standout nose tackle DJ Reader, the Bengals’ defensive line played a crucial role by making a key stop on a fourth-and-inches at their own 42-yard line. This paved the way for quarterback Jake Browning’s remarkable scramble on third-and-nine, navigating through a challenging blitz. Contributing to the excitement, receiver Tyler Boyd executed a fantastic 44-yard catch and run. These plays positioned the Bengals for kicker Evan McPherson’s second overtime game-winning field goal in three games.
In the midst of a thrilling fourth quarter at Paycor Stadium, where 66,376 fans were roaring, Higgins stole the spotlight. He leaped to catch the ball near the Vikings’ 1-yard line. Just before cornerback Akayleb Evans could push him out of bounds, Higgins spun around and touched the right front pylon with his right hand. This impressive play unfolded with only 39 seconds remaining, evening the score at 24 and adding to the excitement of the game.
Browning had an outstanding fourth quarter, scoring three touchdowns and ending regulation with 28 successful throws out of 39, gaining 280 yards. The final touchdown was particularly impressive as he threw it while under pressure from a blitz, setting up Higgins’ memorable play.
Overall, Browning completed 29 out of 42 throws, securing two touchdowns with one interception. His performance, earning a passer rating of 97.7, led to a victory in a matchup against Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens, who was making his first start in two years. Mullens completed 26 out of 33 passes for 303 yards but faced two interceptions, resulting in a passer rating of 99.9.
The Bengals staged a remarkable comeback to tie the game, even in the absence of their star receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter. Despite trailing 17-3, the team turned things around in the lively fourth quarter. A pivotal moment occurred when running back Joe Mixon executed a fantastic goal-line run on a challenging fourth-and-one play at the Vikings’ 1-yard line. This outstanding play leveled the score at 17 with 7:46 left on the clock.
Mixon faced a tough challenge when Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. tried to stop him in the backfield. However, Mixon’s second effort proved successful, helping to tie the game. The setup for this play showcased Browning’s resilience; he overcame an intentional grounding call and connected with Chase for a 24-yard gain over the middle on third-and-21. Unfortunately, Chase appeared to hurt his shoulder on that play and had to leave the game, finishing with a team-leading 64 yards on four catches. Meanwhile, LSU counterpart Justin Jefferson led Minnesota with 84 yards on seven catches.
The Bengals narrowed the score to 17-10 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Browning, under pressure, skillfully threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Higgins in the left corner of the end zone, covering a total of 61 yards.
The stadium was filled with excitement. It seemed like the Bengals had taken the lead shortly after Mixon’s touchdown when Pratt intercepted a pass intended for Jefferson and scored a 44-yard touchdown. However, the play was nullified because Hendrickson was called for being offsides.
The Vikings responded quickly, scoring again just five plays later and taking a 24-17 lead with 3:48 left.
The Bengals faced an early setback in the game as their key player, nose tackle Reader, left the field due to a knee injury.
In the third quarter, the Vikings capitalized on a mistake, something the Bengals struggled with in the first half. Browning attempted a pass to tight end Irv Smith Jr. at the Vikings’ 43-yard line. However, with safety Harrison Smith pressuring him, Browning’s pass was intercepted by Akayleb Evans. This turnover set up Greg Joseph’s 39-yard field goal with 4:32 left in the third, extending the Vikings’ lead to 17-3.
In the third quarter, Minnesota had an impressive drive, covering 92 yards and scoring a touchdown to take a 14-3 lead. Ty Chandler, who had a standout game with 132 yards, started the drive with a 27-yard run. On a crucial play, Bengals’ Cam Sample nearly got to the Vikings’ quarterback, but Mullens managed to pass it to Jordan Addison, who made a fantastic catch for a touchdown.
Even though the Bengals couldn’t capitalize on Mullens’ two first-half interceptions, their defense kept the game close at 7-3 by halftime.
In the late first half, Mullens performed well, particularly on third downs. He made some effective plays, including a pass to tight end T.J. Hockenson at the Bengals’ 15-yard line.
In the second quarter, Hilton made a significant play by tackling Chandler and causing a one-yard loss on a run. Later, on third-and-10, Mullens attempted a pass to Jefferson in the end zone, but Hilton intercepted the ball at the goal-line with 4:06 left in the half. This marked the 11th time this season that the Bengals prevented the opposing team from scoring inside the 20-yard line.
However, the Bengals couldn’t capitalize on this opportunity. Vikings’ defensive coordinator Brian Flores used a strategic play on second-and-10, forcing Browning to hold onto the ball. When he didn’t release it, Danielle Hunter, a Pro Bowl player, sacked him, resulting in a significant 14-yard loss.
Despite the Vikings looking poised to score, the Bengals’ defense stepped up. Rookie edge Myles Murphy sacked Mullens out of the red zone at the 22-yard line. On the subsequent play, B.J. Hill tackled Mullens, and as Mullens attempted to throw the ball away, it hit Hill’s helmet. While lying on the ground, Hill made a juggling catch for his second interception in three quarters.
The Bengals successfully prevented the other team from scoring 12 times when they were close to our end zone.
However, despite Mullens throwing the ball to our team twice in the first half, we couldn’t convert those plays into points. Minnesota outperformed us in yards, having 188 compared to our 101 in the first half. In total, they had more yards, 424 to our 378. Browning, our quarterback, threw the ball nine times, completing nine passes for 81 yards in the first half, but he deserved more. After Hill’s play, Browning threw a long pass to Higgins with six seconds left at the Vikings’ 30-yard line, but Higgins almost caught it.
Before the last play of the half, we ran the ball seven times, gaining 28 yards. Chase caught the ball twice for 24 yards, and Jefferson caught it three times for 32 yards. Unfortunately, Higgins and Boyd didn’t catch the ball at all in the first half.
This week, our defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo mentioned that Reader was the most reliable player this season. Unfortunately, when our big and talented nose tackle got injured and had to leave the game on the second play, the Vikings tried to take advantage of our weakness in stopping their runs.
After Reader got injured, another player, rookie cornerback D.J. Ivey, hurt his knee while covering a punt. As he was being taken off the field, he appeared visibly upset.
Minnesota performed well at the beginning, scoring a touchdown on their first drive this season and the second in the last eight quarters. They ran the ball nine times for 33 yards, despite missing their top running back, Alexander Mattison. Chandler, another runner, carried the ball eight times for 33 yards and scored from one yard out, putting the Vikings ahead 7-3.
Browning, our quarterback, took a hard hit from a Vikings player, but he still managed to throw an excellent pass to Chase for 25 yards. This led to a situation where we needed just one yard to get a first down. Then, we tried a tricky play. Tanner Hudson, a tight end who used to play quarterback, took the ball in motion but couldn’t find anyone to throw it to. Instead, he lost four yards. After that, McPherson kicked a 34-yard field goal, and we were winning 3-0 midway through the first quarter. This was something the Raiders couldn’t do last week against Minnesota.
FINAL SCORE
Browning had a strong performance, completing five out of six passes for 56 yards. He would have been perfect if Higgins didn’t drop the first play of the game, a 15-yard pass down the right sideline. In another play on the third attempt, Browning nearly made a significant touchdown pass. He threw it high and deep down the middle, and rookie wide receiver Charlie Jones was in a good position at the 12, but it just missed his fingertips.