Tag: cincinatti bengals

Erroneous whistle on Bengals touchdown sparks controversy in NFL wild card game

The Bengals got a touchdown despite an early whistle, the Raiders fumed, and a playoff game may have shifted in the balance.

The NFL playoffs kicked off on Saturday afternoon with the Bengals and Raiders leading off the festivities. And so far, it really couldn’t be going any better for Cincy, a franchise notorious for postseason failure. A sterling first half—where the Bengals scored on each of their first four possessions—seemed as if they wanted to exorcise all the demons of Dalton, Palmer, and Esiason’s past.

And they appeared to have a little help from the referees, too.

With Cincy looking to pad a lead during a two-minute drill, Burrow rolled to his right and fired a dart to Tyler Boyd in the end zone. There was just one problem: An official on the sideline blew his whistle early because he thought Burrow stepped out of bounds before he threw the ball.

Oops.

Here’s another angle, in slo-mo glory (or agony, if you’re a Raiders fan).

While the replay shows that Burrow was clearly in-bounds, and thus the play (and touchdown) would count under normal circumstances, the rules are not as kind. And rules are rules.

As dug up by ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, the official NFL rulebook states that if a pass is in the air and a whistle happens to go off, the play should be blown dead, no questions asked. NBC’s Mike Tirico also confirmed on air that “by rule, they cannot have a touchdown on that play.”

Uh, that did not happen. While there may have been a second or third thought about the decision, the officiating crew gave the Bengals the touchdown anyway. A ruling that might prove to be pivotal in a neck-and-neck game.

With the touchdown, the Bengals’ spread moved to -16.5, and their moneyline jumped to -2500, at Tipico Sportsbook .

While there’s still a lot of ballgame to go, relevant bettors, and Raiders fans everywhere, have a bone to pick with the officials. Especially as the Over/Under 48.5 comes into play.

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NFL Wild Card: From the Chiefs’ generosity to Jimmy G., every team’s fatal flaw

The Chiefs are very generous with the ball, the Rams need Robert Woods, and other reasons why this year’s Wild Card teams aren’t playing deep into January.

As much as we can learn to appreciate every NFL team playing every weekend throughout the fall, there’s something different about playoff football. Aside from the obvious aspects of sudden death glory (ho-hum), January is where every team thinks they have a shot at winning the Super Bowl. Of course, most of those teams’ aspirations will prove to be delusional and utterly misguided in due time. Reality is often disappointing.

But the social media hype videos, the “nobody believes in us” speeches (even when you’ve won your gauntlet of a division)—they all last forever. That’s the magic of the postseason: Truly anything can happen. Plus, you can make up critics who don’t exist—what a dream.

With Wild Card Weekend on the very near horizon, let’s examine the most significant reason, the fatal flaw, that may prevent each of the 12 teams from making a deep playoff run.

Wild Card odds, courtesy of Tipico.

WRU is real, and the stats prove it

If you turn on just about any NFL game, you will see a few Clemson players on the roster. From superstars to the practice squad, the Tigers have been pumping out NFL talent for years. But it’s hard to argue Clemson’s best performance in producing …

If you turn on just about any NFL game, you will see a few Clemson players on the roster. From superstars to the practice squad, the Tigers have been pumping out NFL talent for years. But it’s hard to argue Clemson’s best performance in producing playmakers has been at wide receiver.

With the NFL season winding down, the Tigers have three former WRs with over 1,000 yards — Tee Higgins, Mike Williams, and of course Hunter Renfrow. And realistically, had Deandre Hopkins not been hurt, he probably would have joined them.

An impressive showing to say the least. Former Tigers Sammy Watkins, Adam Humphries, and Ray-Ray McCloud have been steady contributors to their teams all year as well. And rookie Amari Rodgers is starting to get more playing time up there in Green Bay. Next year, hopefully Justyn Ross will be adding to the Tigers’ NFL pass-catching club.

One thing is for sure, WRU is in good hands it seems.

Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.

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What They Are Saying: Former Clemson WR has monster NFL game, Mosses defender

A former Clemson star wide receiver went off and had a huge game in Week 12 of the NFL season. Tee Higgins, a former All-ACC player for the Tigers who is now in his second year with the Cincinnati Bengals, had his best game of the 2021 NFL season …

A former Clemson star wide receiver went off and had a huge game in Week 12 of the NFL season.

Tee Higgins, a former All-ACC player for the Tigers who is now in his second year with the Cincinnati Bengals, had his best game of the 2021 NFL season with six receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals’ 41-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cincinnati.

Higgins’ touchdown came when he made a Randy Moss-like grab over Steelers cornerback James Pierre for a 32-yard score in the second quarter.

Check out what they are saying about Higgins’ big day below:

Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.

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What They Are Saying: Former Tigers shine in Week 8 of NFL action

A bunch of former Clemson football stars showed out and made big plays on Sunday in Week 8 of the NFL season. Check out some of the buzz on Twitter about former Tigers in Sunday’s NFL action: TEE HIGGINS. #RuleTheJungle : #CINvsNYJ on CBS : NFL app …

A bunch of former Clemson football stars showed out and made big plays on Sunday in Week 8 of the NFL season.

Check out some of the buzz on Twitter about former Tigers in Sunday’s NFL action:

Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.

Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help.  #SaveNicks

Ja’Marr Chase has monstrous day for Bengals

Ja’Marr Chase is making an early ROTY statement.

Go ahead and give him rookie of the year.

Former LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has been having a great start to his rookie season in the NFL, and today he’s continued to assert himself into the Rookie of the Year conversation.

Chase currently has 201 yards and a receiving touchdown off of eight receptions, with his longest catch of the day spanning 82 yards. He has 754 yards through his first seven games of the season, the most by any NFL player since 1970.

There was speculation back during the 2021 NFL Draft that taking Ja’Marr Chase over an offensive lineman would come back to haunt the Cincinnati Bengals, but Chase has since proven himself to be every bit of the first round pick he was selected as.

He is on pace to have 1,938 receiving yard and 13 touchdowns before the end of the regular season. Not too shabby for the former LSU prospect. The Burrow/Chase connection is thriving in Cincinnati.

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WATCH: Former Florida kicker Evan McPherson nails 57-yard FG

Evan McPherson has proven to the Bengals that his pick in the 5th round was worth it after he’s gone 5-for-5 in the preseason.

Former Florida kicker Evan McPherson will be remembered as one of the best specialists in program history. He made 51-60 field goals and 149-150 on PATs in his three-year career with the Gators. Hence, why he was the only kicker selected in the 2021 NFL. The Cincinnati Bengals picked him in the fifth round with the 149th overall pick.

McPherson has justified his selection this preseason. He’s gone four-for-four in two games so far, nailing kicks from 50-, 40-, 37- and 31-yards out. Versus the Dolphins on Sunday, he drilled a 57-yarder. His success in the preseason so far should help him the kicking job over teammate Austin Seibert.

His longest kick at Florida happened in the 2020 season opener against Ole Miss. He hit a 55-yarder, which is the third-longest in school history. McPherson also made two kicks of 50-plus yards versus Georgia. He was also named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award.

The Gators will attempt to replace him with former Mississippi State kicker Jace Christmann and walk-on Chris Howard.

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The Bengals’ new uniforms are pretty cool, but fans think they’re similar to the old ones

A new look in Cincy.

It’s new uniform reveal day for the Cincinnati Bengals, even though their new threads appeared to leak last month.

And although NFL fans seem to think they’re pretty similar to the ones the team wore last season, I’m here to say: they’re pretty cool!

I like the use of the claw-mark stripes on the shoulder, and the fact that each version is one color — no more black-on-white-on-orange combo, which wasn’t that terrible. The more minimalist look is better, and I’m digging those white ones (although yeah, they kind of look like the Bears’ unis). The orange-striped pants are neat.

The Bengals released a video with the reveal, starring former Bengals star Chad Ochocinco:

Here’s some of the reaction:

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Joe Burrow injury update: What we know after Bengals QB exits game on stretcher

Here is all we know after Joe Burrow exited the game with a leg injury in Cincinnati Bengals vs. Washington Football Team.

Joe Burrow exited the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Washington Football Team just after halftime on Sunday, after an awkward hit sent Burrow to the ground and grabbing his knee. It appears, based on a tweet Burrow sent later in the day, that he is done for the season.

The Bengals quarterback was back in the pocket to throw near his own end zone when one of his own lineman, and a Washington defensive end, got tangled up and fell hard into what appeared to be the quarterback’s left knee.

I won’t show the play here, but if you want to see it, it’s here on Twitter.

Burrow crumpled to the ground, then had to exit the game via an injury cart. He has since Tweeted the following:

Burrow, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft after winning the Heisman Trophy and leading LSU to a national championship, had put himself in the discussion for Rookie of the Year.

The respect for him was apparent: Bengals and Washington players alike huddled around Burrow as he was forced to leave the game due to the injury.

The Bengals released a typically cryptic statement shortly after the hit:

 

We will update this post as we learn an official diagnosis of Burrow’s injury and his recovery timeline.

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