CINCINNATI -- In other spots throughout the season, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard might not have been had the energy to celebrate. But after his first career interception Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, the seventh-year veteran and the longest-tenured player on Cincinnati's roster was feeling rejuvenated.
After he secured the ball that popped into the air in the third quarter, Hubbard led a caravan of defenders roughly 45 yards down the field to commemorate the turnover. It wasn't like that earlier in the season.
"I was standing on one leg out there playing 65 plays, just trying to do my job," Hubbard told ESPN on Monday. "Someone celebrates or makes a play, the last thing on my mind was expending energy to run over and celebrate. Now I got all the energy to go ahead and celebrate. The team feeds off that."
After a shaky stretch a few games ago that necessitated a players-only meeting, the defense has responded with strong performances in back-to-back wins. Cincinnati has allowed no more than 14 points in each of the last two games, which has allowed the Bengals (3-4) to start to build some momentum in the middle of the season. A large component of the turnaround can be chalked up to a group that is healthier than it was earlier in the season.
"You're finally seeing us healthy and everybody back to full speed," coach Zac Taylor said on Monday. "It's good because now you've got some depth you can roll through there and have some confidence with."
Hubbard was just one of the players on Cincinnati's defensive front that was battling injuries earlier in the season. In training camp, Hubbard suffered a significant hamstring injury that forced him to miss time in the preseason. While he did return in time for the start of Week 1, his effectiveness was limited. However, he still was the best option Cincinnati had on the roster.
Defensive end Myles Murphy, the team's first-round pick, missed the first four games while on injured reserve after he sprained a knee in a preseason joint practice against the Indianapolis Colts. Four defensive tackles -- McKinnley Jackson (knee), Sheldon Rankins (hamstring), B.J. Hill (hamstring), Kris Jenkins Jr. (thumb) -- combined to miss 11 games in the first five weeks of the season.
That coincided with a rough stretch for the defense. Between Week 3 and Week 5, the Bengals allowed 34.3 offensive points per game, the second-highest total in the league during that stretch, according to ESPN Research. Two of those were losses. It was so dire that cornerback Mike Hilton spearheaded a players-only meeting before the team's Week 6 game against the New York Giants.
That week, Cincinnati held an injured Giants squad to seven points in a prime-time victory. Then Sunday, the Bengals stymied a beleaguered Browns offense for most of the game for the team's first win at Cleveland since 2017.
"It shows the type of team we are," Hilton said in the locker room after Sunday's win. "We can win high-scoring games, we can win 'slug it out' games. We play as well as we did these past two games, it's a huge confidence boost for us."
Quarterback Joe Burrow has been as thrilled as anyone to see the defensive improvement. In his post-game news conference on Sunday, Burrow pointed out that when everyone was talking about how good the offense had played earlier in the season, Cincinnati was 1-3.
Now, Burrow is feeling bullish on the team's long-term outlook this season.
"I would say I'm pretty optimistic on how our team is playing right now," Burrow said. "The last two weeks have been big for our defense, getting healthy, making plays, causing turnovers, that's what our defense is all about. Rushing the passer, so that was big."
Hubbard said having Murphy back and getting more production and reps from fourth-year edge rusher Joseph Ossai has helped with the rotation, which keeps the defensive ends fresher and more efficient.
The last two weeks have featured sputtering opposing offenses. The Giants benched quarterback Daniel Jones one week after his loss to the Bengals, and Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, who had been struggling, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the third quarter of Sunday's game.
Cincinnati's next opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles (4-2), is ninth in the league in touchdowns per drive. Hubbard said the matchup will be an opportunity to show if the Bengals can be contenders this season (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
"We have to play our best complimentary football game of the year to win this game," Hubbard said. "You're not going to just go steal this game. You got to earn it."
But things for Hubbard and the defense are trending upward heading into the upcoming home game. As he walked out of the locker room, a black, cloth to-go bag bearing the name of local restauranter Cristian Pietoso held the ball Hubbard intercepted. Second-year safety Jordan Battle tracked it down to make sure Hubbard could add it to his collection.
And for all of the ailments he's battled this year and how the defense has fared, this trophy carried a little extra value.
"A lot of adversity, lot to battle through, both mentally and physically," Hubbard said. "But still standing, still where I want to be. Feeling good about it."