The Baltimore Ravens came literal inches away from beating the Cincinnati Bengals as heavy underdogs in the NFL Wild Card round on Sunday, as a fourth quarter Tyler Huntley QB sneak at the 1-yard line became a 98-yard fumble return TD for Sam Hubbard and the Bengals.
That was the only scoring play of the final period, breaking a 17-17 tie and ultimately giving Cincinnati a 7-point win. It was a brutal moment for the Ravens, who played an otherwise incredible game, as Huntley tried to reach the ball over the line and got it punched out.
What made the play all the more painful is how well Baltimore ran the ball overall, particularly J.K. Dobbins who has 13 carries for 62 yards, adding 4 catches for 43 yards and a touchdowns. After the game, Dobbins didn’t hold back with his frustration in his lack of touches, especially in the red zone and that he was not given a carry over Huntley’s sneak attempt, as he touched the Ravens in his post game scrum with the media.
J.K. Dobbins said he’s tired of not getting the ball, tired of being held back. Said Huntley should have never been in that position on sneak. And then he added, “If we would’ve had Lamar, we would’ve won, too.”
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) January 16, 2023
Dobbins on Huntley’s decisive goal line fumble: “He should have never been in that situation. I don’t get a single carry. I believe I would have put it in the end zone, again.”
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) January 16, 2023
More Dobbins: “I’m a guy who feels like if I’m on the field all the time, I can help this team win, and I wasn’t. It’s the playoffs. Why am I not out there? Twelve carries? It’s the playoffs.”
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) January 16, 2023
Nothing Dobbins said was particularly wrong, as he was certainly the most effective back Baltimore had but had the same number of carries as Gus Edwards, who only had 39 yards. However, it’s not often a player offers this kind of direct commentary from players on coaching decisions.
His frustration doesn’t even seem to lie with Huntley, although the “we would’ve won with Lamar” quote (while likely true) will stand out for many. Instead, he’s mad the coaching staff didn’t let him have more chances (or any chances) to carry the ball inside the 5 after he’d produced a TD catching the ball out of the backfield earlier.
The issue, really, is the execution, as going over the top with a shorter QB like Huntley doesn’t make a ton of sense and opened them up for catastrophe.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Ravens respond to this, because that’s not usually something that goes over well. That said, Dobbins is an important player for the run-heavy Ravens and many fans at least will have his back.