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          Bengals' Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase connect for 41-yard TD

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterOct 6, 2024, 06:41 PM
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- The Joe Burrow-Ja'Marr Chase connection yielded another big play through the air this season.

          Toward the end of the first half of Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati's star combination linked up for a 41-yard touchdown to give the Bengals a 17-14 halftime lead.

          Burrow found Chase streaking down the field and dropped the ball between defenders for the go-ahead score.

          All four of Chase's touchdowns this season have been on completions of 30 or more yards. According to ESPN Research, Chase now has 14 career touchdowns of 40 or more yards -- the most since he entered the league in 2021. Chase's catch was the 21st reception of 20-plus yards allowed by the Ravens this season. That's the most in the NFL.

          Earlier in the second quarter, Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard added another big play to his career highlight reel. Hubbard tackled running back Derrick Henry in the end zone for a safety, cutting Baltimore's lead to 14-9 with 5:47 left in the half.

          Of course, Hubbard is no stranger to massive plays against the Ravens. In the 2022 AFC wild-card game in Cincinnati, Hubbard returned a fumble for a 98-yard touchdown that was a pivotal play in an eventual Bengals victory.

          Hubbard's play on Sunday was the byproduct of a big team effort. First, Bengals punter Ryan Rehkow, who earned the starting job this week, booted a ball deep into Baltimore territory. Cincinnati safety Daijahn Anthony prevented the ball from going into the end zone and safety Tycen Anderson downed the ball at the 2-yard line.

          Hubbard did the rest.