A Win’s a Win

After easily handing the New Orleans Saints a defeat and attaining an ugly win over the Houston Texans, the Cincinnati Bengals headed into their showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a two game win streak and a bit of momentum. Their game against the Bucs was the final stop of a three game road trip. Considering how tough the final four games of the regular season will be, a victory in Tampa Bay was a must for the Bengals, and despite Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton throwing three interceptions in the first half and Marvin Lewis calling for an inexplicable onside kick in the third quarter which resulted in the Bucs scoring points, the Bengals managed to escape Tampa Bay with a hideous 14-13 win.

The game started off on a bad note when Dalton, who was battling some sort of illness, threw a pick on the very first offensive play of the day. Luckily, the defense stood tall, and the Bucs only came away with a field goal to lead the Bengals 3-0. The Bucs would later extend their lead to 10-0 when running back Doug Martin took it in from the seven-yard line for the score. The Bengals responded late in the second quarter when Dalton raced into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown to make it 10-7 in favor of the Bucs.

On the Bucs’ next offensive drive, Bengals cornerback Terrance Newman picked off a pass from Bucs quarterback Josh McCown, giving the Bengals a shot to at least tie the game before halftime. Unfortunately, Dalton threw another interception, his third pick of the day, and the Bucs held onto their 10-7 lead over the Bengals as the half ended.

Based on the first half, Dalton was having a horrible game, throwing three picks and leading the Bengals offense to only seven points. The second half was an improvement for the Red Rifle, however, as Dalton found his groove in the third quarter. After leading the offense down the field, he connected with Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green for a 13-yard touchdown pass to give the Bengals a 14-10 lead over the Bucs.

All seemed good until the kickoff when, for some odd reason, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis called for an onside kick despite the defense playing very well. The Bucs recovered the kick, but only managed to get a field goal as they closed the gap to make it 14-13 in favor of the Bengals. From this point on, it was an offensive struggle for both teams as the defenses of the Bengals and the Bucs were able to keep points off the board. However, the game was far from over, and the final two minutes proved to be the most exciting and terrifying moments of the entire contest.

After Bengals punter Mike Nugent’s punt went into the end zone for a touchback, the Bucs offense moved the ball down the field and eventually reached the 20-yard line of the Bengals with a little over 20 seconds left in the game. That’s when Marvin Lewis made the play of the day.

Lewis threw the red challenge flag and ran onto the filed in order to get the attention of one of the referees, telling him that there were 12 offensive players on the field. Since there was under two minutes left in the game, coach’s challenges are no longer in play and the Bengals were charged with a timeout. However, the replay official called for an official review. The review proved that Lewis was right which resulted in not only the play being overturned, but also a penalty against the Bucs that pushed them out of field goal range. The defense then forced a turnover on downs, and the Bengals escaped Tamp Bay with a victory.

The win was the team’s third consecutive victory on the road. Not only did that set a franchise record, but it also put some distance between the Bengals and the rest of the teams in the AFC North as the Cleveland Browns, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Pittsburgh Steelers all lost their games.

While the win was the ugliest victory of the year for the men in the black and orange stripes, it was still a win, and at the end of the day, that is all that matters. Next for the Bengals is the first of four straight games in what will be the toughest stretch of the season as the hated Steelers come to Paul Brown Stadium next Sunday with divisional title implications on the line. Hopefully this Bengals win streak gets extended to four when it is all said and done week. Until then, enjoy these highlights of the Bengals win in Tamp Bay.

Who-Dey!