A variety of factors have combined to make NFL games that would otherwise feel like they’re over, not really over—until they’re truly over.
After the Bengals kicked the go-ahead field goal against the Steelers on Thursday night, the game definitely was not over. In past years? Probably it would have been. This year, three key changes have shifted that presumption:
1. The latest changes to kickoff procedures
2. The emergence of kickers with ranges approaching those of Gus the donkey
3. The revamped K ball procedures
These factors made receiver Tee Higgins’s widely-praised decision to eschew a touchdown and take a knee at the Pittsburgh seven-yard line less of a no-brainer than it was described to be.
With 1:39 to play, the Bengals had to bleed the clock—quarterback Joe Flacco wisely burned extra ticks prior to taking knees—before kicking the field goal. When seven seconds remained on the clock, the game was certainly not over.
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First, the Bengals faced a crucial decision about the kickoff.
The best outcome would have been a “dirty ball” kick that skittered into the end zone without being returned, placing the Steelers at the 20-yard line. The risk, however, was missing the landing zone and giving Pittsburgh the ball at their own 40.
The second-best outcome would have been to place the kick between the five-yard line and the goal line, forcing the Steelers to return the ball and lose precious seconds in the process. Yes, this carried a small risk of a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Instead, the Bengals opted to kick into the end zone, which gave the Steelers the ball at their own 35-yard line—just 13 yards away from an opportunity for kicker Chris Boswell to attempt an astonishing 70-yard field goal to win the game.
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Five years ago, that scenario would have prompted guffaws. Today, it’s more than plausible.
Replay Week 1: Boswell won the game against the Jets, 34-32, with a 60-yard field goal that likely would have been good from 70 yards or more.
One play. One pass. Thirteen yards. Six seconds or less.
The Steelers didn’t attempt to set up the kick for reasons not currently known. Instead, quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw to tight end Pat Freiermuth for a five-yard gain, taking four seconds to do so. This set up the “Master of the Hail Mary” with a non-zero chance to win the game with another ICBM-like throw to the end zone.
And that’s exactly what Aaron Rodgers did.
The ball had a chance. It was delivered to the end zone. The Bengals made a great play on the ball to save the victory.
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So no, the game was not over when the Bengals took a 33-31 lead.
The Steelers had a chance to get the ball to their own 48-yard line, which would have given Boswell the opportunity to try a potential walk-off, 70-yard, game-winning field goal.
Ultimately, they rolled the dice on a repeat of the Rodgers-to-Rodgers Hail Mary that propelled the Packers past the Lions on a Thursday night nearly 10 years ago.
While the Bengals escaped with a win, the broader takeaway is this: We all need to adjust our thinking about when a game is truly over after a late score.
If a field goal is needed to win the game or force overtime, it doesn’t take much time to create the chance to try. And when the quarterback is Aaron Rodgers, there’s always a chance he’ll nail another Hail Mary.
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/after-the-bengals-scored-late-field-goal-thursday-nights-game-was-far-from-over