Morrison: Sam Hubbard's 98-Yard Fumble Return TD In Playoffs Second Most Vivid Memory From That Night

CINCINNATI – The lasting image nearly ever Cincinnatian will have of Sam Hubbard will be him lumbering across the Paycor Stadium turf under the lights on the way to a 98-yard fumble return for a touchdown to rescue the Bengals in a Wildcard playoff win against the Ravens.

And it should be. It’s the most iconic play in franchise history, and it set an NFL record for the longest fumble return in postseason history.

But 99.9 percent of the people who watched that play unfold in real time, whether in person or on television, didn’t see what I saw about an hour later.

That was Hubbard sitting at the dais in the news conference room for the first time the Bengals brought the local kid home to Cincinnati in 2018, announcing him as their third-round draft pick.

Hubbard obviously was happy at that introductory press conference, but there also were some nerves, along with a desire to wrap things up and get started on his career.

Nearly five years later, after lifting the Bengals to a 24-17 playoff win, he was sitting there beaming, truly enjoying every question and every answer and seemingly never wanting the moment to end.

It was such a stark contrast. Not to his initial news conference, but rather to nearly every interview he had done his first few years in the league.

When things were bad in 2019 and 2020, Hubbard always was willing to do interviews.

Many of those were Monday afternoons after losses when most of the players took off before the media arrived in the locker room. Or Wednesday afternoons during lunch when a lot of the guys would hang out in areas off limits to reporters.

Hubbard never shied away from the difficult or the uncomfortable.

It’s why he only missed 10 games in his seven-year career due to injuries that would have forced a lot of players to miss twice, maybe thrice as many.

He played in the 2023 season finale against Cleveland even though he needed tightrope surgery on his ankle, the Bengals were eliminated from the playoffs and the Browns were resting their starters.

Hubbard said he was playing for his guys and wouldn't have it any other way.

After rehabbing through surgery, Hubbard suffered a grade 3 hamstring tear in training camp. That would have been a season-ender for a lot of players, but Hubbard didn’t want to leave anybody hanging.

Hubbard started the season opener and the next 13 games until suffering a season-ending – and, ultimately, a career-ending – knee injury.

Even the greatest play of his career was a bit of a gut check as he fought his way back from a painful calf injury that cost him a couple of games to play in the season finale and the infamous Wildcard contest.

Much of what made Hubbard so special wasn’t visible to the majority of people outside of the team facility.

But it flashed neon orange into the eyes of Zac Taylor when he took over as head coach in 2019.

Taylor knew he had to create a new culture, and that was going to involve shedding many of the veterans from the Marvin Lewis era.

But more important than deciding who goes was picking who stays. Hubbard was Taylor’s No. 1 overall pick.

Not only did he do everything the right way, every day, he wasn’t afraid to call out those who weren’t.

Some of those conversations were uncomfortable. A couple nearly turned physical.

Hubbard never backed down.

“One of my all-time favorites until the day I die,” Taylor said last week at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

“Since Moeller to Ohio State to the Cincinnati Bengals, you’re going to talk to every person in that man’s life, and they’re all going to tell you the same thing – (he’s) one of the greatest people you’ll ever be around,” Taylor added. “Really cared more about others than he cared about himself.”

That benevolent fortitude no doubt began at Moeller and continued to Ohio State.

I didn’t witness any of that.

But the moment Hubbard landed with the Bengals, it stood out.

He was a Day 2 premium pick on a team coming off a losing record, yet Lewis and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin yanked him off the edge, where he had played at Ohio State, and threw his undersized rookie frame into the middle of the defensive line.

Hubbard played more defensive tackle than defensive end as a rookie. He also got thrown into one of the most thankless positions on the field as a fullback in goal line and short yardage situations.

And think about the AFC Championship Game at Kansas City in 2021.

You see Eli Apple making the tackle of Tyreek Hill right before halftime. B.J. Hill batting a pass and intercepting it. Samaje Perine taking a short screen pass to the house. Vonn Bell’s interception in overtime. Evan McPherson’s game-winning field goal.

But do you remember Sam Hubbard in that game? Lou Anarumo put him in a difficult, uncomfortable position of lining up as a middle linebacker and spying Patrick Mahomes.

And Hubbard not only accepted it, he made two plays that might be bigger than any of those other ones.

The Chiefs were down three but had second and goal at the Cincinnati 4 with 86 seconds to go.

Rubber-stamp game-winning touchdown to go to the Super Bowl for Mahomes and Co., right?

Wrong.

Hubbard sacked Mahomes on back-to-back plays, the second of which resulted in a fumble that nearly sealed the game on the spot.

It’s a play many might have forgotten until the Bengals posted his tribute video today.

To: The Cincinnati Kid 🧡

Thank you, @Sam_Hubbard_ pic.twitter.com/vBfPvUeVR3
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) March 5, 2025

Kansas City had to kick a field goal to get to overtime, where the Bengals won it.

Even when making impactful splash plays on one of the biggest stages, Hubbard somehow was still overlooked.

He always just accepted the assignment, went to work, embracing anything difficult or uncomfortable.

And he did it until the absolute end.

On the day he played his final game for the organization, Hubbard knew how bad his injury was.

Rarely do players who suffer season-ending injuries talk after a game. But there was Hubbard, standing in the middle of the visitors locker room at Nissan Stadium, answering questions from reporters.

Sure, he had just scored a touchdown on the first reception of his career, and that was fun to talk about.

But he probably would have rather slipped out the door to the team bus rather than have to deal with his emotions, knowing he probably would never put on the uniform of his hometown team ever again.

It’s why today’s announcement made me flash back to that January Sunday night in 2023.

Hubbard wasn’t toiling, doing the grunt work that needed to be done to make his teammates, and the team, as good they could be.

He wasn’t gritting through pain.

He wasn’t fielding difficult, uncomfortable questions.

He was reveling in the moment of doing something truly special. A team moment, yes. A city of Cincinnati moment, absolutely.

But more than anything else, a Sam Hubbard moment.

Even though family and friends were waiting for him outside, Hubbard was truly enjoying the moment, smiling, laughing, giving great, in-depth answers, seemingly hoping the session would never end.

That’s what I’ll remember most about that night, seeing a guy who did everything right finally getting that moment to bathe in the adulation he so often deflected. And willingly, joyfully accepting it.

Even though will never again hear the Paycor public address announcer introduce Hubbard as “Cincinnati’s own,” he always will be.

His legacy will continue both in the community, with the Sam Hubbard Foundation and its Hubbard’s Cupboards initiative that has restocked dozens of area schools with supplies, to the example he set in the locker room for all of the young players who will make up the core of this year’s defense.

No one deserves to enjoy retirement more, and yet deciding to walk away had to be one last difficult, uncomfortable things Hubbard had to do during his time with the Bengals.

But true to character, he did it the right way, not stringing out the decision until training camp when his body – or the coaches – told him it was time to go.

By retiring a week ahead of free agency, Hubbard gave the organization another $9.5 million on new players.

Hubbard’s career is over.

His legacy is nowhere close to finished.

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