Ideally, the Baltimore Ravens would have had superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson under center when they faced off against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday night in the AFC Wild-Card Round. But with Jackson still ailing, the Ravens turned once again to backup Tyler Huntley, who came so close to being a Baltimore playoff hero.
Instead, Huntley recorded one of the most painful on-field errors in Ravens history, as his lost fumble near the end zone in the fourth quarter was converted into a 98-yard touchdown by Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard. It was the difference that eventually sealed the deal for Cincinnati who came away with a 24-17 victory.
It was also a mistake that will haunt Tyler Huntley for a long time — if not forever. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said after the contest that the initial plan was for Huntley to go low, but the quarterback instead opted to go over the defense (via Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com)
“At the time, I just felt like everybody was packed in, they shot for our linemen's legs, the ‘backers felt pretty good up at the line. I just tried to make a play,” Huntley said.
“I'm going to be thinking about that the whole offseason, how just one play, they won the game. It's going to be hard, but it's going to motivate me to grind hard, work hard, and be ready for next year.”
Huntley finished the night with 226 passing yards and two touchdowns with an interception while completing 17 of 29 throws. He also rushed for 54 yards on nine carries.
The Bengals face the Buffalo Bills next Sunday in the AFC Divisional Round.
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