3 Bengals players who carried team to wild card win over Raiders

Sam Hubbard

There are a handful of players on the Bengals’ defense who deserve shoutouts for their performance against the Raiders.

Trey Hendrickson, who has been so essential to the team all season, had a sack before he was knocked out of the game with a concussion.

Germaine Pratt had nine tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and the game-sealing interception. Jessie Bates was a disruptive force with three pass breakups. B.J. Hill’s late sack helped keep the Raiders from marching to the enzone.

Still, Sam Hubbard holds a special place in the mix because no one understands the struggle for Cincinnati football fans more clearly than he does.

Hubbard was born and raised in Cincinnati. He went to school at Ohio State. He was fortunate enough to be drafted by his hometown team. Then he made sure Cincinnati got their long-awaited playoff victory.

Not only did Hubbard manage to sack Derek Carr, but his helmet literally prevented a touchdown, diverting a pass away from a receiver in a dangerous spot. The Raiders had to settle for a field goal and weren’t able to find the endzone later to tie the game.