A tale of two young Bengals defensive backs as they head into Monday night's game (8:15-Cincinnati's Channel 9) at Paycor Stadium against the Commanders:
Cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt is bursting into the NFL elite during his third season like last Sunday's spectacular one-handed interception in Kansas City.
"I'm not a normal corner," Taylor-Britt said after Thursday's practice. "I'm trying to do something that's never been done before."
Rookie safety Daijahn Anthony, a seventh-round keeper, has wiped away tears from the same game and is now resolved to make somebody else cry. Monday and beyond. He's trying to stream the Bengals into another postseason game against the Chiefs' version of Batman (Patrick Mahomes) and Robin (Travis Kelce) via his phone.
"I've got them on lock screen," Anthony said. "I've got a slide show. Just click through my family members and they're on there. They're not family. I can't wait to see them again."
Cornerbacks coach Charles Burks is charting the progress of both, but after Thursday's practice he clicked to a Chiefs game from four years ago and not the one from last Sunday. Burks says Taylor-Britt's interception on Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy, the fastest player in NFL scouting combine history, is the best interception he's ever seen. Which made him want to see the second best.
It's from Burks' days as a Dolphins assistant. They were playing the Chiefs and Mahomes had the ball on about the Dolphins 25.
Speedster Tyreek Hill ran a corner route from the slot and All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard never took his eyes off Mahomes as he ran with Hill. When Mahomes tried to drop it over Howard at about the 5, Howard turned, leaped, and plucked the ball one-handed.
"Tyreek Hill and Xavier Worthy are two of the fastest people on the planet," Burks said. "What separates Cam from other cornerbacks and makes him unique are his ball skills. He's used to handling the ball. He was a high school quarterback. He's got the same kind of ball kills as Xaven Howard, also a high school quarterback. He can be in that class. He's got all the tools. It's just being consistent."
But Sunday's play goes a long way because it came after Taylor-Britt had been beaten earlier in the game on Rashee Rice's 44-yard touchdown catch from Mahomes running past him down the left sideline.
"That's when you know who your true corners are," Burks said. "When they get beat on a play and come back and make one."
Burks also saw progress in how Taylor-Britt reacted to Worthy's split. On the touchdown, Rice was slightly outside the numbers while Worthy was slightly inside, giving him more space to get to the sideline.
"Once Cam saw that, he played with really good footwork, stretched the release at the line of scrimmage, transitioned up field, turned, and looked, and made a play," Burks said. "He sees those things. They're always there. Every play. He pays attention."
Taylor-Britt doesn't pay much attention to rankings, so word that Pro Football Focus has given him the highest coverage grades for a cornerback after two games is nice but … He says he doesn't read anything that's tagged to him on X, except if his mother sends him congratulations on something.
"Yeah, the Pro Bowl, but I'm not really thinking about that," said Taylor-Britt of goals. "I'm thinking about that I'm trying to catch one in every game."
17 interceptions are the goal?
"No, just know that my mindset is not a PBU."
Often, the big-time number of interceptions doesn't go to the best cornerbacks for all sorts of reasons, ranging from position asks, number of targets, to quality of hands.
"I'm not a normal corner, you all know that," said Taylor-Britt, citing his nickname as he ticked off all the reasons why. "I'm named 'Juice.' I can hit and not scared to come up and tackle. Just as fast as any other guy, can cover. The game is slowing down a lot for me and I feel like it's showing in my play. Continue to get better. That's why I'm not normal."
What's not normal is that the Bengals didn't blink an eye in putting Anthony on Kelce for a handful of snaps Sunday in his second NFL game.
Although Anthony was called for a hold on one of the plays, Kelce had just one catch for five yards. There were other combinations on Kelce during the day, but Anthony now looks to be the tight ends specialist as the coaches stand by a young player whose versatility they covet despite the last flag of the game that caught Anthony for pass interference and took a huge win away from the Bengals.
"It was hard for the first couple of days. My teammates and coaches wouldn't let me put my head down," Anthony said. "They lifted me up every single moment. I just salute my coaches, the whole organization for being by my side. They were telling me stories of their own. And telling me, you played corner in college, you just have to keep that next play mentality. It's a new week. Let's go take it out on the Commanders."
It seemed like the whole defense reached out to him throughout the week. Sam Hubbard, Dean of the Bengals, and a defensive captain. Joseph Ossai, who in that same Arrowhead Stadium was called for a late hit on Mahomes in the final minute to turn the tide of a tied AFC title game.
"I had seen that play. The tough thing for him was there was no next game until the next season," Anthony said. "Then I got to know him. We hang out a lot. He told me that story even before (Sunday)."
Anthony admitted he couldn't wait to put on his cleats again and tear up some grass at practice. It was a long wait because of the Monday night game. He said he watched the play "probably 1,000 times," but then, "I love football. I always watch a lot of plays." But maybe not that many times.
"Honestly, if I catch the pick," said Anthony of hitting the back of Rice too quickly as closed in on a zone. "It's a bang-bang play. Running full speed. I never looked at the receiver since I was looking at the ball the whole time. Once I jumped and he jumped back into me, it kind of knocked my vision off the ball.
"Next time, just secure the pick, and it won't be a 50-50 situation … Jump a little higher. I think the refs wouldn't say anything if we bump into each other and I'm catching the ball."
Anthony has had quite a journey. Three colleges and he lost his grandmother and mother along the way. So it's doubtful something like this is going to stop him.
"I always made clutch plays. Go all the way back to D2," Anthony said. "I knew I was about to intercept the ball and I think God told me it's not my time yet and we'll get it back down the road."
Burks is one of the coaches who talked to him.
"That guy came open. Daijahn saw it. He was where he was supposed to be. He pulled his trigger. That's all we can ask," Burks said. "I told Daijahn, this is the part of the NFL no one talks about, but happens to everybody. And how you respond is going to dictate the trajectory of your career. There's going to be a game Monday. And the Washington Commanders don't give a crap about Sunday."
Anthony most certainly gives one about his Monday Night debut. He just has to look at Mahomes and Kelce on his phone.
"Remember what you're doing it for," Anthony said.
A Tale of two Bengals young DBs.
Next chapter.
