Ravens’ failed QB sneak turns into ugly record-breaking fumble return for Bengals (VIDEO)

There are moments that live on after every NFL game. When the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens battled it out in the AFC Wild Card game on Sunday, the Bengals created a little bit of history in the fourth quarter. A 98-yard fumble return marked the longest fumble return in NFL playoff history.

The scores were tied at 17-17 in the fourth quarter. The Baltimore Ravens had marched down the field and looked poised to score a touchdown. Just short of the goalline, they drew up a quarterback sneak to try and score a touchdown and go ahead 24-17. Quarterback Tyler Huntley, who had a big run to set up the first-and-goal, tried to reach out beyond the line.

Instead, before he could break the plane, Bengals player Logan Wilson forced a fumble. The Ravens had put all the players in the scrum to try and force their quarterback over the line. Hence, when the ball came loose, the backfield was completely empty.

The ball dropped kindly to Sam Hubbard, who took off unchallenged all the way into the opposite endzone. The Bengals took a 24-17 lead after the conversion, flipping the game on its head.

Sam Hubbard takes the fumble 98 yards for the TD ‼️

📺: #BALvsCIN on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ bit.ly/3GIba79 https://t.co/PoVImXrfpz

Bengals v Ravens becomes a game of inches

Football has always been a game of inches, but this particular divisional matchup reinforced that notion. With just a couple more inches, the Ravens could have taken the lead. Instead, the Bengals forced a fumble and took a one-possession lead.

What a play by Logan Wilson to force the fumble 👏 @ljw21

📺: #BALvsCIN on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ bit.ly/3GIba79 https://t.co/YYeDOrkjzO

But even with all this drama, we were not quite done yet. Just a little later in the quarter, the Baltimore Ravens defense forced the Cincinnati Bengals into a three-and-out situation. This forced them to punt the ball.

The Ravens brought pressure and nearly got to the ball to smother the punt. But again missing by inches, they drew a roughing the kicker flag as the defender slid into the kicker's standing leg, creating a potentially dangerous play.

…this is roughing the kicker? https://t.co/SWxLJV3SVZ

It allowed the Cincinnati Bengals to get another set of downs. Thankfully for the Ravens, their defense held firm once more to force a punt.

However, the Ravens' offense could not match the commitment that their defensive counterparts had shown earlier. They also went three-and-out to ensure that the Bengals entered the last four-and-a-half minutes of the game still leading 24-17. It proved to be the final score as the Ravens failed to force overtime on the final drive of the game.

Game of inches 👀 #BALvsCIN https://t.co/NDAyl3lMWT