In one of the most memorable games in Paycor Stadium history, the 8-6 Bengals erased a 14-point fourth-quarter lead Saturday and won with 3:11 left in overtime on Evan McPherson's 29-yard field goal, 27-24, as quarterback Jake Browning threw for 324 yards.
The Bengals won the toss in overtime and faced a third-and-18 after two sacks and Browning stepped out of what was nearly a third when he flung a 30-yard jump ball pass to wide receiver Tee Higgins on the sideline. It appeared Higgins got mauled on the play right in front of the Bengals bench, but there was no flag despite the vociferous pleas of head coach Zac Taylor.
But without great nose tackle DJ Reader, the Bengals defensive line surged to stop a fourth-and-inches at their own 42 and that set up Browning's great third-and-nine scramble against a hellacious blitz and slot receiver Tyler Boyd's even greater 44-yard catch and run that set up McPherson's second overtime winner in three games.
Tee Higgins went high over a Vikings defender to catch a 16-yard pass from Browning and make a twisting move at the goal line for the tying touchdown with 39 seconds left in regulation.
Then, in overtime, a scrambling Browning found Tyler Boyd for a 44-yard completion that got Cincinnati (8-6) into Vikings territory and set up Evan McPherson's game-ending 29-yard field goal.
"Jake's just so steady, you know?" Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. "He really is. He doesn't get rattled by a negative play. He doesn't overreact to it."
Browning finished 29-of-42 passing for 324 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for a passer rating of 97.7.
Mullens became the fourth quarterback to start a game for Minnesota this season, a franchise record. He did good things for sure in his first Vikings start, but also suffered two interceptions.
He finished 26-of-33 passing for 303 yards with two touchdowns and a passer rating of 99.9.
The first interception occurred at the Cincinnati 1-yard line on a third-and-10 from the 15. Instead of building on a 7-3 lead with 4:06 remaining in the second quarter, the drive came away with no points.
"(Bengals assistant coach) Troy Walters came up to me and said, 'It's time to be the alpha," Higgins said. "I was able to do that."
Higgins scored two of the three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter as the Bengals (8-6) offense found a spark in the fourth quarter. Browning threw for as many yards in the fourth quarter (140) as he did in the previous three quarters combined.
He acknowledged that he didn't have a good first half and then proceeded to throw a bad interception at the beginning of the third quarter. But he finished 29-of-42 passing for 324 yards and two touchdowns and got revenge against his former team
Saturday's win extended Cincinnati's win streak to three, and the 8-6 Bengals are now firmly in the playoff hunt with three more to play. Losses at this point cannot be afforded for for a team that must go on the road in consecutive weeks (at PIT, at KC) before hosting the Browns in Week 18, but Browning has another score to settle next Saturday.
"High, but I think we're going to play an important game next week," Browning said of his confidence. "We play the Steelers. I played terrible against them last time, so I'm pretty focused on that."
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