The Cincinnati Bengals went into Sunday night’s AFC Wild Card matchup against the shorthanded Ravens as heavy favorites, but it took a heroic effort from defensive end Sam Hubbard to get them into the Divisional round.
With just under 12 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Ravens lined up at the one-yard line with a chance to take the lead. Instead, Tyler Huntley’s reaching effort towards the goal line turned into Hubbard’s 98-yard fumble return for a touchdown the other way. The go-ahead score ended up being the deciding touchdown in the game, and thanks to NFL Films, we were able to hear Hubbard’s thoughts on the play.
They didn’t disappoint.
He went from pumping himself (and his speed) up to, well, some actual honesty real quick.
"I was so scared of getting caught!" 😅@Sam_Hubbard_ was mic'd up for his iconic 98-yard touchdown. (via @NFLFilms, @insidetheNFL) pic.twitter.com/IV8KvOBKyf
— NFL (@NFL) January 17, 2023
At first, he was yelling, “You can’t catch me!” Then — along with receiving some oxygen — he admitted he was so scared of getting caught. Of course, Mark Andrews was close to running Hubbard down and may have made the tackle if not for a questionable block. But Hubbard absolutely earned that moment, and NFL fans enjoyed the mic’d-up video as well.