WHO DEY: ‘Right place, right time;’ Cincinnati native keeps Bengals season alive

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati native Sam Hubbard kept the Bengals season alive Sunday night with a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

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The game was tied at 17-17 with 11:39 left in the fourth quarter and the Baltimore Ravens faced a third and goal from the Bengals one-yard line looking for the lead. Quarterback Tyler Huntley tried to reach the ball over the defensive line on a quarterback sneak but linebacker Luke Wilson knocked the ball loose and it fell into Hubbard’s hands.

He ran 98-yards for a touchdown to put the Bengals on top, 24-17. It was the longest fumble return in postseason NFL history.

Hubbard needed an oxygen mask to recover following the run.

“Right place. Right time,” Hubbard said after the game.

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Sam Hubbard was born and raised in Cincinnati going to Moeller High School before attending college at Ohio State, according to our news partner WCPO in Cincinnati.

He was drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Bengals and has 24 overall sacks in his career, including 6.5 this season.

Hubbard played a key role in last year’s playoff run. He had two back-to-back sacks of Patrick Mahomes in the 2021 AFC Championship game forcing the Kansas City Chiefs to settle for a field goal to force overtime. The Bengals won, 27-24, to advance to the Super Bowl.

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Hubbard was fired up leaving the field after the game at Paycor Stadium.

“Who Dey!” he shouted on social media. “Big win at home! Love you guys, on to the next!”

Hubbard said in the locker room after the game the defense puts it “on us to make a play.”

“As a defense, we consider ourselves the heart and soul of this team,” he explained. “Whenever we’re in a bind, we put it on us to make a play.”

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News Center 7 will have coverage of the Bengals and Bills leading up to kickoff.

This includes the Orange Zone Sunday morning, January 22, at 11:30 a.m. with John Bedell and Larry Hansgen.

News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis will provide live coverage from Orchard Park.

Kickoff between the Bengals and Bills is Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.

The game will be televised here on Channel 7.

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