Across The Shield: Sam Hubbard and the Buckeye Bengals End Cincinnati's Playoff Drought

By Matt Gutridge on January 18, 2022 at 9:20 am
Sam Hubbard
Joseph Maiorana – USA TODAY Sports
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For the first time in 31 years, the Cincinnati Bengals won a playoff game. Five players who used to wear an Ohio State jersey contributed in the Bengals ending their playoff drought.

Cincinnati was up 10 points with 3:42 remaining in the game, but it appeared Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was going to connect with tight end Darren Waller to extend a potential touchdown drive. Realizing he wasn't going to reach Carr, Sam Hubbard leaped as high as he could to disrupt the passing lane. 

The result? Hubbard did his best soccer player impersonation as the ball deflected off the top of his helmet and fell harmlessly out of bounds. The Raiders settled for a field goal to pull within seven.

Hubbard also made a huge third-down stop on the first play of the second quarter. The Cincinnati native displayed his versatility by lining up at middle linebacker. The Raiders were facing a 3rd-and-4 on their own eight-yard line and Hubbard blitzed to drop Carr for a seven-yard sack.

A.J. Cole of the Raiders was forced to punt out of his own end zone and the Bengals took possession on Las Vegas’ 45-yard line. Cincinnati took advantage of the great field position and extended its lead to 13-3 with an Evan McPherson 30-yard field goal. 

Hubbard led Cincinnati's defensive linemen by playing 71 of the 77 defensive snaps. In four career games against the Raiders, Hubbard has now collected four sacks and 13 tackles.

Joe Cool

Joe Burrow handled the pressure the Raiders threw at him by finishing with 24 completions for 244 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. An exceptional performance for a second-year player making his first playoff appearance. 

However, Burrow's best performance might have come after the game when he was asked if he heard an inadvertent whistle on this touchdown pass.

Isaiah Prince started at right tackle for the fifth time this season. For those with an astute ear, Mike Tirico called out Prince during the player introductions when he said, “The right side struggles. Especially Isaiah Prince at right tackle. He's going to be challenged.” 

Prince received a 44.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, the lowest of any player on the Bengals offense in the 26-19 win over the Raiders.

Former Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple, who finished with six tackles and a pass breakup, was in full dance mode before the game. Unfortunately, there isn't video of him doing a post game celebration dance.

Heyward causing havoc

With the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs in a scoreless tie, Cameron Heyward introduced himself to Darrel Williams. The wily veteran shed his block then dispossessed Williams from the ball. T.J. Watt scooped up the loose ball and 26 yards later gave Pittsburgh a 7-0 lead.

A few minutes later, Heyward displayed his hustle and speed as he chased down Jerick McKinnon and took him down along the sideline.

Things quickly went downhill from there for Heyward and the Steelers, however, who saw their season come to an end in a 42-21 loss.

Bosa bonked

Nick Bosa took a knee to the head and did not return to Sunday's Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys after being evaluated for a concussion. The Cowboys only scored seven points and were limited to 79 passing and 110 total yards before Bosa left the game. 

The rest of the San Francisco 49ers’ defense stepped up after his departure, though, and the 49ers held on for a 23-17 victory. Bosa's dad, John, was all hugs following the win and said his son was doing fine, so there’s optimism Little Bear will be able to play next weekend in the 49ers’ divisional round matchup with the Packers.

Joey Bosa did not make the NFL playoffs after the Los Angeles Chargers’ Week 18 loss to the Raiders, but he did make a couple of appearances on the CBS broadcast during his younger brother’s game, as sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson called Nick “Joey” on multiple occasions.

Zeke confirms injury

Following the loss to San Francisco, Ezekiel Elliott confirmed he played the second half of the season with a partially torn PCL, though he said he will not need offseason surgery. 

Despite the injury, Elliott still managed to rush for 1,002 yards and 10 touchdowns during the regular season, though he was held to just 31 yards on 12 carries in Sunday’s season-ending defeat.

Buckeyes in the playoffs

Eight Ohio State players are represented on half of the eight teams playing in the NFL's Divisional Round. If you're looking for a team to root for based on Buckeyes, Cincinnati has four players that finished their careers in Columbus and Joe Burrow.   

Saturday, 4:30 (CBS): No. 4 Cincinnati Bengals at No. 1 Tennessee Titans
Bengals: Eli Apple, Vonn Bell, Sam Hubbard, Isaiah Prince
Titans: None

Saturday, 8:15 (FOX): No. 6 San Francisco 49ers at No. 1 Green Bay Packers
49ers: Nick Bosa, Trey Sermon
Packers: Josh Myers

Sunday, 3:00 (FOX): No. 4 Los Angeles Rams at No. 2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rams: Jordan Fuller (IR)
Buccaneers: None

Sunday, 6:30 (CBS): No. 3 Buffalo Bills at No. 2 Kanas City Chiefs
Bills: None
Chiefs: None

Buckeyes Around The NFL
PLAYER POS TEAM WILD CARD STATS
ELI APPLE CB BENGALS 6 tackles, 1 PBU
VONN BELL S BENGALS 4 tackles
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS 3 tackles, 0.5 sack (5 yards), 1 QBH
NOAH BROWN WR COWBOYS Played at WR
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB COWBOYS 12 rushes, 31 yards; 1 catch, 0 yards
JORDAN FULLER S RAMS IR (ankle)
JOHNATHAN HANKINS DT RAIDERS 3 tackles
DWAYNE HASKINS QB STEELERS Inactive
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS 4 tackles, 1 FF
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS 3 tackles
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS 3 tackles, 1 sack (7 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QBH, 1 PBU
RAEKWON McMILLAN LB PATRIOTS IR (knee)
JAKE McQUAIDE LS COWBOYS Played at LS
JOSH MYERS C PACKERS Bye
ISAIAH PRINCE OT BENGALS Started at RT
TREY SERMON RB 49ERS Inactive
SHAUN WADE CB PATRIOTS COVID-19
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