The Cincinnati Bengals threw for their first touchdown in Super Bowl LVI, but it came with a catch: Joe Burrow was not the one who threw the football. Cincinnati found itself down, 13-3, during the game’s second quarter, but managed to march down the field and get themselves into the red zone.
After Joe Mixon ran the ball on first-and-goal, it looked like Cincy was going right back to that well. Burrow pitched the ball to Mixon, but instead of trying to turn upfield, the Bengals’ standout running back kept moving horizontally. While people in living rooms and bars around the world assuredly started screaming “FAKE!,” the Los Angeles Rams‘ defense fell for it. As a result, Tee Higgins got behind everyone and was wide open in the back of the end zone. Rams safety Nick Scott couldn’t get there in time to break up the pass attempt, while Higgins had reservations for six.
JOE MIXON THREW A TD IN THE SUPER BOWL. #RuleItAll
: #SBLVI on NBC
: https://t.co/K02y40b5Nu pic.twitter.com/VuhMuqgiT4
— NFL (@NFL) February 14, 2022
As you can guess, it’s pretty rare that non-quarterbacks throw for a score in the Super Bowl. This marks the fifth time in NFL history that this has happened, and the first time since then-Philadelphia Eagles tight end Trey Burton threw to Nick Foles in Super Bowl LII.
Joe Mixon becomes the 5th non-QB to throw a TD pass in the Super Bowl.
The others?
TE Trey Burton – SB LII
WR Antwaan Randle-El – SB XL
RB Lawrence McCutcheon – SB XIV
RB Robert Newhouse – SB XII pic.twitter.com/HdGZXsIcUn— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 14, 2022
This also marked the first pass attempt of Mixon’s NFL career, and we feel confident saying this was a pretty good time for it.