There was a play at the beginning of the second half of Sunday’s Bengals-49ers showdown that, for the rest of us, would probably be way down the list of Cincinnati highlights from what became a revival afternoon for the AFC juggernaut. It was a run-of-the-mill second-and-9 from the San Francisco 40, the third play of the third quarter, with the visitors to Santa Clara clinging to a 14–10 lead.
Joe Burrow took the snap and, almost immediately, a bullrush from his old college buddy, Nick Bosa, had left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. backing into the quarterback’s lap. Burrow saw it coming, and quickly flashed to Brown’s left—getting Bosa to disengage that way. He then exploded back inside Brown, eventually cutting the run all the way back across the grain, then darting down through the belly of a loaded defense for the first down. And then some.
By the time three Niners converged on him at the 40, Burrow had 20 yards. As he popped back to his feet, he grabbed his face mask and slapped his helmet twice.
