Even though the Bengals' season rides on just about any game involving an AFC team, head coach Zac Taylor had no desire to watch Thursday night's Broncos-Chargers game after preparing for Sunday's game (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) against the Browns at Paycor Stadium.
Until he checked his phone and saw with no time left in the first half both teams had called a timeout after the Chargers fair caught a punt.
After sitting through years of obscure situations, Taylor sensed a quirk in the NFL rules was about to take place. So he told his sons to pause "Lost," and gathered the family around to witness the Chargers' Cameron Dicker hit a 57-yard field goal off a free kick.
"They were very confused. It is hard to explain," Taylor said after Friday's practice. "It's definitely on the radar. It gets presented in training camp. I feel like we've known about it forever."
Which is the last time a kicker made good on a fair-catch field goal. Ray Wersching in 1976. No one in the Taylor household had been born.
The NFL rule says, "After a fair catch, the receiving team has the option to put the ball in play by a snap or a fair-catch kick (field goal attempt), with fair-catch kick lines established ten yards apart. All general rules apply as for a field goal attempt from scrimmage. The clock starts when the ball is kicked."
Dicker's field goal cut the Denver lead to 21-13 and sparked a 34-27 Chargers win that was exactly what the Bengals needed to make the playoffs. The Broncos, who play their next game in Paycor, have to lose to the Bengals and Chiefs to finish up, and the Colts and Dolphins have to lose one.
And the Bengals can't lose any, which is why Taylor couldn't have cared less about watching a Thursday night game.
"We've just got to beat Cleveland. I'm trying to minimize the focus," Taylor said. "I get what last night meant and how it's being played that way. But none of it matters if we don't take care of our own business."
SPEAKING OF KICKERS
Hard to believe it hasn't happened yet, but it appears Bengals kicker and Browns draft pick Cade York can become the first kicker to score a point for both teams in the 55 seasons of the Battle of Ohio on Sunday. He'd like to go one better.
"I told them when I left to go to Washington at the beginning of the year I was going to hit a game-winner against them and I was disappointed I didn't get that chance," York said this week. "So now God gave me another chance and that would be pretty cool."
York, a fourth-round pick of Cleveland in 2022 who made two of three field-goal tries against the Bengals that season, says there are no hard feelings, and he's already got a jersey swap planned with Browns guard Wyatt Teller.
The Browns cut York after the training camp of 2023, a season he didn't kick in a game, and he re-signed with them this past offseason even though they already had the vet Dustin Hopkins.
After what he thought was a solid training camp, York hooked on with Washington after the Browns cut him a second time in time for this year's opener. But he was cut after he missed both field-goal attempts.
He surfaced in Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago when Evan McPherson went on injured reserve with a groin injury. York got a game ball after his first game in Dallas when he made all his kicks and pounded six touchbacks to keep the ball away from NFL kick return leader KaVontae Turpin.
"I never got a game ball for hitting such short kicks," said York, who hit 37- and 29-yard field goals against the Cowboys before adding a 21-yarder in Tennessee last Sunday.
York says it wasn't his rookie year that got him cut, but the next preseason. It wasn't a surprise.
"I was fine in the practices in training camp," York said. "But in games, I was going crazy hard at the ball. Being too aggressive."
York looks to be settled here. He's made all but one of his eight kicks after missing a PAT last week.
"It's going to be cool see all my buddies and the guys who were in Bible study," York said.
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
Stripe The Jungle in this AFC North rivalry!
SLANTS AND SCREENS
Quarterback Joe Burrow (knee) went limited all week. Wide receiver Tee Higgins (knee) went limited two days and rested one. Have no fear. Taylor says they’re ready for Sunday.
"We're in management mode at this point," Tayor said …
After going two full days with a finger injury, left end Trey Hendrickson is looking to pad his NFL sack lead, which is half-a-sack over Houston's Danielle Hunter. Cleveland edger Myles Garrett lurks in fifth place with 11. …
Right guard Alex Cappa went full for the first time this week Friday and is listed as questionable because the final hurdle for concussion protocol is Saturday …
Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins went full Friday and is a go after missing two days with illness …
Tight end Tanner Hudson (knee) is out …
As expected, also out are left end Sam Hubbard (knee) and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (illness) …
Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (fibula) returned to practice Friday for the first time since he re-aggravated his leg Dec. 1 against Pittsburgh and is questionable …
