TAMPA, Fla. _ After scoring 34 straight points over the Buccaneers Sunday at Raymond James Stadium for one of their biggest road comebacks in history, Bengals slot receiver Tyler Boyd said there was no panic down 17-0 to the greatest quarterback who ever lived.
“You saw our Kansas City game last year,” said Boyd after his third-down touchdown catch late in the third quarter gave the Bengals the lead for good. “We know what time it is.”
It is time that the Bengals are gunning for the AFC’s top seed and not just the AFC North, which they lead by a game with three to play.
“This one doesn’t matter now,” Boyd said. “We have to win them all.”
Unlike that win in Kansas City when they swept to the AFC title crawling back from an 18-point deficit, on Sunday the Bengals used their defense to rattle Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady’s offense for four straight turnovers. Never had a Brady team blown a 17-point lead at home. Never in 90 games. But he had never faced a wounded and proud defense without its top two sackers, No. 1 cornerback and top two slot cornerbacks.
“Every time I think our defense plays its best game,” Boyd said, “they play another the next week.”
D-MAGIC: Without his top rushers, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo had to not only go into his back pocket in the second half, but into his bag of tricks and a very deep bench. After a first half Brady was virtually untouched and sifted them for nearly 200 yards and a 127 passer rating, Anarumo went Xing and Oing.
Linebacker Logan Wilson’s blitz led to nose tackle D.J. Reader’s forced fumble and edge Joseph Ossai’s fumble recovery. Ossai’s twist with defensive tackle resulted in Ossai drilling Brady as he threw, resulting in linebacker Germaine Pratt’s interception. Hill moved outside to end for about half a dozen snaps for the first time since he came over from the Giants last year.
“Got to get that old man tap dancing, man,” said cornerback Eli Apple. “Have to get him out of that pocket. Had to get him…
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