Hi, get everybody on Dan Hoard and thanks for downloading The Bengals Booth Podcast. The Thinking and a Praying, wishing and hoping addition, as the Bengals and the regular season with their fifth straight win by beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh and now become the world's biggest fans of the Chiefs and Jets. On Sunday, coming up, radio replays, locker room comments and postgame analysis from Dave Lapham. Then in this week's Fun Facts Conversation, you'll get to know running
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Had to have it win in Pittsburgh. It is the final night of the regular season for the Cincinnati Bengals, and in order to have any chance of advancing to the playoffs next week, they must beat the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight on a bitterly cold and wintry evening in the Steel City. And it is time for the pig skin to fly. Here at Akroshure Stadium, second down and three at the twelve yard line of Pittsburgh Burrow looking to pass again. He first a strike god Jamar Chase with
a touchdown. The Bengals score on their opening drive, and Jamar Chase has just made franchise history. It's his seventeenth touchdown catch of the year, tying Carl Pickens single season franchise Mark Russell Wilsonson's pickins in motion. He's back to throw, looking scrambling, pucking hands. Sack Hendrickson, who began the game tied for the NFL lead in sacks with Miles Garrett fourteen apiece, get this fifteenth of the year, and.
That was really a good rush by everybody.
We'll see if he can come through from forty eight yards away. Adamidas, who played here at pitt snaps it back. The kick is on its way. It is good. Kay New York comes through and the Bengals have taken a ten nothing lead. First and goal from the one for the Steelers after the penalty on Cam Taylor Brett. It's a handoff the Najie Harris and he goes into the end zone standing up for a Pittsburgh Steelers touchdown. Ryan Rico will punt for the first time tonight. Calvin Austin
is the returner for the Steelers. He's dangerous. Rico, the rookie out of Byu. Hammer's a long, long punt, back pedaling all the way to the twenty five. To catch it is Austin running to the thirty. The ball comes out at the thirty three yard line. They got it.
They got it.
No official indication yet.
I saw a fall on it.
Yeah, they do it, and there it is.
They got it.
Higgins out to the left, Three receivers out to the right, including Chase nearest to the offensive line, Cam Grandy and Gasiki also out to the right. Burrow with a quick throw and it is nearly picked off by Queen and it is deflected toward a teammate and intercepted.
Wow wow, I mean that was a great you talk about staying with the ball. Beanie Bishop Junior comes away with the football.
Wilson is under center. See if he actually runs a play on fourth and one. He touches both sides of his helmet, hasn't snapped it yet. Now he does hands it off. The Bengals get into the backfield to.
Make the tackle.
They stopped him.
I don't know. He's getting a good spot. He's getting a good spot.
You're right, yeah, wow, man, my mistake. After review, the runner was short of the line. The game first down Cincinnati, Boore I withdraw my apology. Burrow in the gun, Herbert to his left. It's a two by two formation. Chase out wide to the right, Higgins out wide to the left. Burrow throwing deep for Higgins. He leaps and comes down to the ball inside the ten. He stops the clock as he goes out of bounds at the nine. The snap,
the placement, and the right footed dick. It is good and the Bengals have a six point lead, thirteen to seven, with sixteen seconds left in the half. All right, here comes a thirty five yard field goal attempt for Cad York, trying to give Cincinnati a sixteen to seven lead. Rico catches places the ball down. The kick is on its way and it is good and the Bengals lead the Pittsburgh Steelers by nine, sixteen to seven. It is second down and five from the Pittsburgh forty one. Chase goes
in motion, winds up wide to the left. They throw it deep for Jamar. What an adjustment to the ball as he stops on a dime, comes back to the ball and beats Trice for the catch at the twenty two yard line. Kade York looking for his fourth field goal of the game. It's a twenty three yard try from the left hash His right footed gick is absolutely perfect, and the Bengals have a twelve point lead. In the fourth quarter, Patterson lines up in the backfield Wilson to
throw again. Cocks the yard has a man wide open, caught by Friar Mooth and he runs into the end zone for the Pittsburgh touchdown. Weightman into punt. He waits at his own five for the long snap. His left footed punt who not going very far. It is going to bounce to the Bengals touch that the ball goes out of bounds or did it get recovered by Pittsburgh first Steelers have it so Isaiah Williams did not give a definitive enough signal for his teammates to get out
of the way. Connor Hayward recovers the ball that hit a Bengals blocker to allow Pittsburgh to recover it.
I mean, it was a punt that was mishit, and at that point you gotta yell fire or whatever your code word it is to get out of the way.
On second to nine, Russell Wilson to throw. Trey hendricks In sacks him at the thirty three yard line. Came with a wide rush, beat the left tackle more and sacked Russell Wilson. Boswell has made forty field goals this year. That is a Steelers single season record. Here comes his fifty four yard attempt. It's on its way. It is good.
Yep, unreal. I mean in this weather for him to hit that thing like he hit that, Are you kidding me? That's like hitting the brick.
Clock is running thirty one seconds to go. They still need to gain about twenty yards to be in field goal range. Bryan Mos thirty five seconds to go. Shotgun snap, Wilson under pressure, sacked, Trey Hendrickson does it again at the forty yard line. Time out Pittsburgh twenty seconds to go. The Bengals playoff fate comes down to this play, fourth down and twelve with fifteen seconds to go. If they get a stop, their playoff hopes will be alive tomorrow.
Hope alive. Wilson sends two receivers out to each side of the formation. Russell has the ball short drop fires a pass incomplete. Friarmouth couldn't hold on hand with eleven seconds to go.
That is coffin nailam, bam bam.
The Bengals playoff hopes are still alive, and tomorrow at four in the afternoon, we are all about to be the world's biggest fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets, needing those two teams to win in order for the Bengals to deep playing. The final score Cincinnati nineteen Pittsburgh seventeen. The Bengals end the regular season with a five game winning streak and the Steelers
end with a four game losing streak. Speaking of streaks, Joe burrows streak of consecutive games with three touchdown passes ended at eight, but considering the frigid conditions and injuries on the Bengals offensive line, Joe was outstanding, completing eighty percent of his forty six passes for two hundred and
seventy seven yards with one touchdown and onet. Joe ends the season with franchise records for passing yards with four thy, nine hundred and eighteen touchdown passes with forty three and passer rating at one oh eight point five. Joe will lead the league in passing yards unless Jared Goff throws four five twenty on Sunday night against the Vikings, and he'll lead the league in touchdown passes unless Baker Mayfield
tosses five on Sunday afternoon against the Saints. Here are some of the things Burrow told reporters after the game.
You know, our execution in the red zone wasn't good enough.
That's kind of.
The story of the game. I'm not sure how many field goals we kicked, four, three or four something like that, So you know, if we convert a couple of those into touchdowns.
That's a different game.
You know, I would like to have finished that game on offense and punched those into the end zone.
But our our defense stepped up and picked up the slack. Our defensive young.
Guys and guys that have played great in the past have have started playing well. And then Trey Henderson, you know, after tonight, I don't know who else is gonna win Defensive Player of the Year other than him. He was incredible tonight. Any time that he didn't have chip help, he was getting to quarterback. Anytime you don't make the playoffs, it's a failure. That's what you're you're aiming for every year. That's why you work so hard as to be at
your best at in the end. And you know, these last five weeks we have been we just you know, weren't able to find an extra win early in the season that that would put us in a better spot. You know, I know that, you know, if we get and we can make some noise with with the players and coaches that we have in this building, and we just gotta hope for hope for some hell tomorrow and I'll sit back and watch it. I thought i'd have my best year. I think I did. H The year
after a ligament injury like that is always better. You know, I threw it well this year, I don't think. I still think I can throw it way better.
Uh.
You know, early in the season you're still getting a field for for how that risk is feeling. You're breaking up scar tissue, you're doing a lot of different things to to help it, and it gets better as the season goes. So I expect next year to be better. That's that's how it was with my knee. That's how ligament injuries typically go. So I'm expecting to to grind this offseason and take a jump next year.
The man is never satisfied. His favorite target, Jamar Chase, had ten catches for ninety six yards and a touchdown and has a healthy lead in all three triple crowned categories with one hundred and twenty seven catches for one thousand, seven hundred and eight yards and seventeen touchdowns. My postgame interview with Noumero who Know, begins with Jamar praising the Bengals defense.
They've been stepping up tremendously a lot the past couple of weeks. Trey going trade dangs today, but you know they always find way to getst the ball back.
You finish the season with the five game winning streak, your playoff hopes are alive. What's the emotion in this locker room right now?
Right now?
Everybody happy? We just got this winning in Pittsburgh. So you know, right now we're just letting the dice roll and take the chances about what's gonna having them out.
Ten catches just under one hundred yards and a touchdown. How challenging it under these conditions.
It was pretty challenging mentally wise, you know, just standing in the game, noise, cold, but you know, we practiced for the outside in the cold for a reason.
So the peasants of the game, is that seventeenth touchdown really satisfying for you? No? No, no, why not?
Because I dropped two touchdowns in the past two weeks?
So what that would have been?
Nineteen seventeen's not bad. Nineteen sounds better though, hard to dispute. All right, So what's tomorrow going to be like? Needing help from Kansas City and the Jets to advance to the playoffs in Buffalo?
Who knows?
Man?
You know, hopefully postably we get what we want. And like I said, you gotta let the dice roll right now.
Joe started the game by completing his first twelve passes nineteen degrees seven degree win chill. What did you think of the way that he performed Coming out of the.
Game, I was going to have a I thought it was gonna be a long night for the defense once you know, I see him start off so good.
Did Pittsburgh change anything up or just their good players start making some plays?
Uh?
They change it up a little bit after the first drive at the first out of change it up?
All right? If my math is correct. You lead in catches by eighteen, you lead in yards by two hundred and twenty seven, you lead in touchdowns by five. Barring some of the greatest single games in NFL history, you are going to win the triple crown. Can you describe what appears to be that accomplishment.
It feels good, you know that I finally haven't on toneath my belt, but I'm still worried about the playoffs right now be in a triple crown, but I'm I'm happy. I'm excited that I got to appreciate Joe and the rest of the team for helping me.
It comes in if you can get in, if you make it to the playoffs. What do you think this team can do the way you ended this season.
They gotta take a one game at a time, you know, like you did the last five weeks.
Where about what we.
Got in front of us, take advantage are the players that we get an opportunities that we get in a game and make the most outble.
As for the defense, I told Trey Hendrickson after the game that the best performance I had ever seen by a Bengals defensive player was also in Pittsburgh when Gino Atkins lived in the Steelers' backfield in a game that clinched a playoff spot in twenty twelve. Well, I think Gino is now number two on my list after watching Trey get three and a half sacks and five quarterback hits with nearly all of them coming in crucial situations.
Well, first and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
He's my foundation, my rock.
All glory to God and my wife. She's been amazing through this season taking care of our son.
Huge support group.
I'm just incredibly bless and humbled to be in the position to help this team win and give ourselves the best chance to go.
To the playoffs. He finished the season on a five game winning streak, and during that stretch, the defense gave up less than twenty points a game. You guys really turned it around over the final month of the season.
Yeah.
Credit to Loui an Arumo doing his job, you know, changing things up, getting people in the right position to produce.
You know.
Credit to the rest of their coaching staff coming up with good game plans and shutting teams.
Down so Pittsburgh gets the ball with less than two minutes to go, a field goal can win it. Chris Boswell's been the best kicker in the league. The defense had to come up big, and you guys did. How satisfying is that in light of the roller coaster ride that this season has been.
Well, you know, we got a chance to redefine our identity as a defense a little bit. And like I said, that starts with coaching and then players, you know, at four and eight responding to the call.
So credited leaders in this locker room.
Like Sam Hubbard keeping us together even though he went down in Tennessee, can't say enough about his character, his leadership.
Guys like bj.
Hill becoming vocal leading our defensive line, and obviously the rest of the guys to remain pratt lying around out there, and Genostone making a lot of plays for us, Josh Newton stepping up.
I can continue to.
Keep going on, but for the sake of time, we'll if.
Seventeen and a half sacks Miles Garrett didn't have any today, you are almost certainly going to lead the league. A Bengal has never done that since sack has been an official stat What does that accomplishment mean to you?
It gives me a platform to glorify the Lord. You know, it's not about me selfishly, there's eleven other or ten other guys that complete this defense, and I'm able to produce on my edge. I'm very blessed to do what I love. This is what I was born to do. And you know, my wife being there for me in this whole process. She's been so strong and taking care of our son and obviously take care of me. So I'm very blessed to have that support group. And you know, it's pretty cool.
You guys did your part. You need help tomorrow. What is tomorrow going to be like? Nerve racking? Exciting? Can you describe the emotions of hoping to get some help from the Jets and Chiefs tomorrow?
Well as far as our twenty twenty four defense, it's the man in the arena kind of accomplishes.
What we'd like to say.
We give it her all.
Some things are out of our control right now, but giving you your best is what it's about. You leave the field with your head high, knowing that you did everything to win, and then you can sleep like a baby at night.
A heck of a game and an unbelievable season. Congratulations Tray, Thank you appreciate it. Ray finished the year with seventeen and a half sacks for the second year in a row and should get consideration for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Now let's hear what Zach Taylor had to says he spent a few minutes with Dave Lapham after the game.
Things head coach Zac Taylor, congratulations, sir, thank you.
It's good to good win man.
It's hard to win on the road in the ANFC North, and really proud of the way the guys stuck together and found a way to get it done.
Give me your first reaction when you had time to catch your breath and everything that was going through your through your mind during the course of the game and you had chance to exhale, what's your first thought.
This is what we visualized. You know, there was no situation where we're going to walk out of here with a loss. That's not anything that crossed any of our minds. We fully expected to win this game, and our guys got it done.
And I'll tell you the grit and the determination defensively, coach down the stretch, the five football games that you guys want in a row and once again compimentary football. You know, there's a problem with special teams, you know, ball hits on a leg and those are tough things. Those are tough things. I mean the punts mishit, you don't know where it is. But defensively they step up, you know, and it was just an a great example of contmary football.
Absolutely, you know, I thought, I thought in all three phases, guys stepped up at key moments. Offense played well early on to get us a lead and keep putting points on the board. Defense came up with some key stops. Special teams had their day as well. So just really really proud of our football team.
Got a lot of respect for the offensive line. You know, there's a lot of there were injuries there, guys are playing different positions and showing versatility. Cody Ford, you know, stepped up, you know, really big for you you know, and then Amarius comes in when when he needs to come in and and does what he has to do. I just think, again, in my mind watching this football game as a form alignment, I thought the game was was one of the trenches on both sides of it.
I did too.
I mean, we dropped back in pass against one of the best fronts in football a lot, and so we put a lot of pressure on those guys and they rose to the challenge. And so just just really proud of the effort they gave and ability to get some runs off when we needed to as well Khalil Herbert and his first first start with us, you know, to get the reps he did. Just really really thankful for those guys up front.
You know, to me, that's that's a credit to everybody, credit to him, a credit to you and your coaching staff. You know, obviously he's a very intelligent guy, but I mean, you guys, to have him ready to go out and do what he did the way he did it, it's really impressive.
It's a huge credit to Justin Hill. I mean, he works with all these guys. We got guys on the active roster practice squad and in a moment like this, you know, we were down Zach Moss. We lost Zach Moss halfway through the season. Chase Brown now out, so a guy that we traded for some guys that we've acquired on the practice squad of the season's gone on, Justin has got those guys into position where we felt
like they could help us win the game. And so credit to those backs, credit to Justin Pittsburgh.
Steelers had gone through some injuries, but they were very healthy here for this football game. You guys were trying to like cobble it together and get it done again. That just says a lot about the depth of your football team, how everybody cares about each other with respect your foot ball team. It says a lot.
Yeah, I mean, we've had our fair share of six day weeks these last couple of weeks, and our guys haven't complained, spoken up one bit about it. It's just it is what it is, and all we can control is how we play on game day. And so these guys are beat up right now. I mean it's if you watched practice, you would see guys are barely even moving,
you know, they're so beat up. But on game day they give it everything they got and really proud of them and hopeful that we get in and we get a chance to do it again.
Trey Hendrickson, I mean he's kind of limping. He limps off the field, comes back, getting gives you a sack, and he's kind of like living it. I don't know if it was his side or what it was. He looked like he was definitely struggling though. Was it up in the rib k?
Yeah, he got a nice rib shot.
You know, it's hard to block him one on one, so sometimes you got to call in some reserves to help from the side, and he got that today, and so he just needed to play to get his breath back.
So where do you think the turning point or if there was one, I mean that that wasn't again another roller coaster. I think there was never more than a ten point lead. I don't think for anybody.
Right we did, you're up nineteen seven. But the end of the first half was a huge moment for us to get the stops, to get the offense the ball back in good scoring range. It's a windy day, it's a cold day. It's not going to be one of those five hundred yard performances, and so the field position was critical. Defense got his field position, put three points on the board to go up thirteen to seven. So you started to feel like you were going to get
control of the game. And that was a big moment for us.
To me, when the defense third and one, fourth and one, you get the football back. I was like, man, I'll tell you what, you know, a much maligned group. Boy, they stood up large.
Yeah, it was huge.
You know, that was an unexpected situation, you know, the fourth and one on our side of the field, and so you know, really I just thought they were trying to draw us off sides, to be quite frank with you, and I thought, our guys, so when you think that's happening, you're not firing off the ball.
Like you normally would.
And so for them to be able to get that stop in a situation where you're not firing off the ball because you're not expecting to snap it, I thought, really speaks volumes bet our guys.
And finally, Coach, I mean, I've played in cold weather games and you know, obviously that fifty nine blow is like a you know, ridiculous, but I mean nine to nine below raw temperature.
Older every year that passes, we're.
Stuck at that fifty seven. I wanted to get it into the sixties. But uh, I know what it's like when you're and you're still playing very physical football, but when you're hitting like that and that kind of weather, man, I take my cap off to the tip my cap to the guys. Because I know what it feels like. And man, it was physical out there. I mean, guys were getting after it.
Listen, I had two pairs of gloves on and I can't feel my fingers, So I can't imagine doing what these guys did, you know. And and so again just the mentality that they had all season long, to be quite frank, and especially these last five weeks, to know that we couldn't afford to lose another game, and so they just buckled up and got it done.
Five straight wins, four straight seasons with winning records. Pretty good coach.
It's not easy to do in this league. And now we just cross our fingers and become fans tomorrow.
Absolutely, you guys, are you gonna have the You guys gonna all get together there somewhere if you thought about that, or what do you think.
Coaching Stuf's working on the Buffalo Bills. I mean, we know who our opponent would be, and so we'll be in the office working on Buffalo. The games will certainly be on the background, there's no doubt about that. Probably be a little bit scheering involved, and then we'll just go from there.
Hopefully the work he and his staff put in preparing to face Buffalo next week will prove necessary. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps, proud to be the Bengals Official HR software provider, by Alta Fiber future Proof Fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now time
for the radio guys recap laft. That was a lot of fun. The Bengals end their regular season with a five game winning streak, a winning record, and a prayer of advancing to Buffalo next week.
Yeah. Unfortunately, they don't control their own destiny. They're gonna have to rely on other people and you hate to have to be in that situation. But they took care of their share of it. They're part of the business. They had to get the win, and winning in Pittsburgh it's not easy. I mean, Mike Tomlin's record in the last game home game, he was eight to no. I mean, he hadn't lost a football game. So to get this one done it was pretty extraordinary. They had a sixteen
minute time position advantage. They basically ran away with the court of the football game. You know, they had seventy one snaps to their fifty eight. I mean, it was it was an impressive performance. I thought it big, a big deal. Third and one, fourth and one. The Bengals defense stood up and showed themselves in that and that little sequence and really over the five game winning streak,
I thought the defense played really well. I mean, there were so many examples of complimentary football offense, defense and special teams. When you win five in a row in this league, you know that's the case. And defensively that they certainly did up there under the bargain.
That's on the short list of best defensive performances by an individual that I've seen. Trey Hendrickson three and a half sacks against this team under these circumstances in this building, that's a memorable one for me. It is.
And and he was getting chipped, he was getting in fact, he had a little bit of a rib issue he got. He got hit pretty good. He said, he gets stroked in the side pretty good when he get chipped one time. So they were paying some attention to him. But I'm telling you, boy, when he turns it on and he comes around that edge and he he shrinks that edge.
He does.
He compresses and shrinks the edge about as well as I've seen man when he when he has the least a little the smallest little bit of advantage, he turns in into a huge advantage. He's he's really gifted and talented that way, he really is. He can make himself small and accelerate and yeah, he just he doesn't really give you a whole lot of target to punch and to hit. He does it right.
So Burrow did not extend his touchdown streak. He only had one tonight, so that ends at eight consecutive games. He did best for more than two hundred and fifty yards, but considering the state of his offensive line, the weather conditions, the defense that he was facing, that was one heck of a performance. It was.
I thought that the number of snaps, time of possession showed that they controlled the line of scrimmage. I thought offensively, Cody ford Man showed the versatility. I mean, he can play both guards, he can play both tackles. He's done it well. You know. Amarius Mems did come in when needed and held down the fort at the right tackle position as well. I get a lot of respect for, you know, how those guys stepped up and played honestly as a football team. They were pretty beaten up, they
really were, and Pittsburgh wasn't. I mean, Pittsburgh had all hands on deck and the Bengals you know, didn't. And then during the course of the game things cropped up that you know, caused some problems. But I mean, these guys all they were all ready to go. I think it's a tribute to the to the players. Everybody prepares
like they're a starter. The coaches prepare the players like their starters, and everybody when they get their opportunity to perform, go out there and perform at the at the best level they possibly can. And man, there's a lot of depth on this football team, and it showed today.
Quite a few unsung heroes in this game. I thought Shaka Hayward several tackles and a forced fumble. Cade Yorke bounces back from his doink in overtime last week, boots four field goals and four tries, and as you pointed out, with some of the injuries that they had, guys had to step up. Given their opportunity, and they did.
They really did. And uh, you know, I thought that it looked to me like the weather conditions bothered the Steelers a little bit more than it did the Bengals.
I really believe that.
And you know, they they're in a situation where if they win that football game, you know they're going to Houston. Now if the Bengals aren't in the playoffs, they're still they're going to Baltimore.
Unless the Chargers lose, but they probably won't take the Raiders right right.
So, I mean, they had a lot to play for, and they played hard. I mean they didn't they didn't fold their tents. They didn't start pulling players or anything like that. They played it right to the right to the end as hard as they possibly could. But you know, the Bengals realized, the first thing you have to do is to win this football game. If you don't, it's all a moot point. Now, at least you can you can live for at least one more day.
So it won't be satisfying if they don't get the help they need tomorrow. But they do wind up with a winning record after an zero to three start, four and eight after twelve games, they wind up nine and eight, fourth straight year with a winning record. Again, we won't savor that, certainly if they don't wind up in the playoffs. But it is an accomplishment.
It is, And honestly, you know, this is a good football team. It really is. And I you know, the rest of the league knows that. That's all you're hearing from. You know, every media source. Nobody wants to play the Bengals right now. The Bengals are on a run and they are I mean, they're playing as well or better than anybody in the league right now. So Pittsburgh Steelers are a limpit and gimpet into the playoffs. I mean, four game losing streak and to lose to their division
rival at home. That's not a great way to stride into the playoffs. So they're leaking oil. In fact, I'm not sure there's any oil left in the engine. We'll see, but you know, the hopefully the Bengals can get in because they're playing at a pretty high level.
The Steelers not only finished with a four game losing streak, never led in any of those games.
That's amazing, isn't it. I Mean, this is the first game that they were within a score to finish the see the games, I mean they're outscored ninety to fifty in the games before this one. I mean that's that's not just getting beaten, that's getting thrashed. So the Bengals finished it off. It was great anytime you can come
to Pittsburgh and quiet those terrible towels. Boy, that stadium at times was I mean you could hear a pin drop out there, you know, and there's nothing better than that in Pittsburgh to hear the quiet.
When we walked into the locker room, we were among the first reporters to get in. They were playing Renegade. The Steelers got a theme song that they played, a fire up the fans in the second half and a little bit of a dig as. That was the first song playing in the locker room.
Yeah, I mean that's apropos as they say. I mean, yeah, it's this this uh, this football team. It's it's crazy. I mean again, you can look back the four and eight part of the season. Any it's just one game had gone differently. Now and if they had ten wins, they'd be in. They'd be in just one and honestly, they could be sitting with twelve or thirteen wins, but
just one to get into ten wins. That's why every win you get in this league you have to treasure and relish, because man, it's tough to get him.
For everybody but Kansas City, that is. But get this, the fifteen to one Chiefs are an eleven point underdog on Sunday in Denver. That's because the Chiefs arresting Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, and as many key starters as possible. Here's hoping Carson Wentz plays the game of his life for KC. Since the Bengals need Denver to lose, the Bengals also need the Dolphins to lose, and they aren't expected to have two Atungo Vai Looa due to a
hip injury. The four and twelve Jets are now a one point favorite over Miami in that game. Both games kickoff at four twenty five, and if they go the Bengals way, the impact of me jumping up and down in my family room might register on the Richter scale. That wraps up the Pittsburgh game. Now time for this week's fun fact segment, where you get to know the person under the pads, time for some fun facts with
running back Khalel Herbert from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I read an article about you where you refer to yourself as chubby and slow as a kid, which is definitely not the case. Now, were you a late bloomer?
Uh yeah, definitely.
You know, I don't think I got my speed until tenth eleventh grade. But you know, growing up, I was always on the O line, D line. I played a lot of guard in the defensive end, and then you know, eventually started moving to full back as I you know, as I got a little bit faster, and then uh running back when I was in tenth grade.
So did you grow out of it naturally or did you have to work at it?
I definitely had to work at it. You know.
I was always I was big as a kid, so I used to shot put in stuff, but I feel like everybody caught up to me, so I thought I was gonna be a lot taller than But definitely like my speed, I always ran track and you know, just eventually just keep working at it and was able to finally get some speed and the rest came just working at it, working at.
It every weekend.
Did you do any other extracurricular activities as a kid or was it strictly sports.
Yeah, strictly sports, football, track, I mean, yeah, video games.
We're visiting with Khalil Herbert. You played high school football as a senior at American Heritage School, the alma mater of former Reds Rookie of the Year Jonathan India, among others. But here's what I found amazing in twenty twenty one when you were drafted by the Bears, there were six players taken from your high school that year. That's unusual for a college, much less a high school. Is it amazing to you guys, the guys that are on that team.
It definitely is, But it's it's kind of, I guess, regular to us down there, especially in South Florida. You know, we produce a lot of NFL talent, but you know, it's something that we we strive and pride ourselves on just being able to produce NFL talent. And like you said, yeah, we had six in the draft. I think we got ten current or eleven current guys. So it's something that we pride ourselves on, going getting to go back to school,
go back there. You see our posters and banners on the walls of the fields, so it's always cool.
When it came time to pick a college, you chose Kansas. How'd you wind up in Lawrence? From South Florida?
So I trained with Tony Sans. He played the running back at Kansas. Kind of connected me with some people at Kansas. Kansas is my only power five offer, so it was kind of a no brainer. You know, I want to play power five ball. Even though they weren't doing so well, I figured I could go there and help change the culture.
So that's why I chose there.
We're chatting with Kalol Herbert. In your sophomore year against West Virginia, you had a game with two hundred and ninety one yards and thirty six carries. What are your most vivid memories of that day.
I mean, I just remember afterwards I was tired, but nah, I just remember I was trying to help my team win anyway.
It just, you know, just so happened.
I was able to break a couple of runs that game and just able to ride the hot hand there. So but it was it was a crazy day just to be I think I'm third and ku in single game Russian, So just being able to be up there with some great some crazy great names.
You know, I was a memory I'll never forget.
Did you know how close you were to three hundred? No?
I wish I I wish I did.
I wish I did.
But again, we were losing the game, so it was like we just started throwing the ball, trying to get back, trying to win the game. But I don't even I don't know if anybody knew, because no one was keeping track of the time. I didn't find out un till I got on Twitter. Afterwards.
You decided to transfer to Virginia Tech for your final college season, and that turned out to be a great move. You finished fifth in the nation and rushing that year. What did that season do for you and your NFL dreams?
Just definitely helped me get to where I am right now. You know, I played with some great guys. I think my whole whole line is in the NFL right now, So that kind of shows the kind of talent I was with, you know, a bunch of guys on the
team or in the league. But just being around those guys and helping me just that coaching staff allowed me to just be me and go play, and you know, they trusted me to take games over and finish games out, so you know, with that belief in me, just able to go out there and play my game.
You were drafted by the Bears in twenty twenty one. Describe your draft weekend and what it was like to get that call.
I mean, it was it was a long weekend. It was a long weekend.
I think that was the end of the sixth so you know, it was a lot of waiting, a lot of waiting, you know, especially here you could go day two, day three, like, so you're just waiting around, but you know, they called.
I got a call from.
I'm trying to remember the city, but it was Illinois, but uh no, it was. It was a crazy, crazy wave of emotions, like, you know, whole family was.
There at my at my mom's house.
So it was just cool just to have that moment with everybody, and you know, especially after how long the weekend had felt like, just finally end with some happy tears and you know, figure out where I was going to play.
How'd you like living and playing in Chicago? Oh? I loved it.
I loved it.
You know, great area out there. They Bengals came out there during preseason, so a lot of guys talk to me about the area. But you know, the city great food. I love foodie, so I love food. But yeah, I loved it out there.
Did you have a favorite spot?
I had a couple.
I like steakhouses, so I tried down near every steakhouse in Chicago, but downtown I'd either go Maple and Ash or Ocean Prime.
Those are my top two.
You spent three and a half years with the Bears before getting traded to the Bengals at the trade deadline this year. What's the hardest part about being traded in the middle of a season.
I mean, I feel like just two things, like relationships and then learning plays but just like, you know, not being able to say goodbye to people, meeting new people, trying to learn new faces, new names, as well as trying to learn a playbook, so trying to just cram as much as you can in a short amount of time.
So I feel like those are two hardist things.
But you know, I feel like everybody here has done a great job of allowing me to learn and slowly.
Teaching me things and learn this stuff each week.
So all right, some wild card topics. Now for Colol Herbert, describe your experience as an Uber driver.
So I worked Postmates. I actually I did Uber too. I did Postmates. I delivered food and I did Uber. I was an Uber driver just needed extra money, like you know, college, Like we weren't getting crazy nil bags like these guys are now. So especially during springball, you know, spring summer, not much going on.
We just work out in the morning. I would Uber.
And it stopped because I picked up this group of people. One time person threw open my car and that was the last time at Uber. And then I just started delivering food after that.
So I was going to ask you for your worst Uber horror story. I think I just heard it.
Yeah, so after that, no more picking up people. I would just I would just deliver food, and uh yeah that was a lot better.
Did you get good ratings?
Yeah yeah, yeah all the time. You know, I feel like I got some good tips too. Once people realize, you know, I was delivering food, they're like, oh yeah.
So all right, who is your all time favorite athlete in any sport? And why?
I mean lt uh lt. I grew up.
I was born in April twenty first. I worked twenty one. Growing up, I worked twenty one at VT. It was retired at Kansas, so I couldn't work. I work twenty one in high school. Part of reason him, part of reason because I was born that day. But I was my favorite player growing up.
So we should probably clarify Ladanian Tomlinson as opposed to Lawrence Taylor.
Yeah, Ladanian Thomason.
According to Wikipedia, you have Jamaican and virgin Island. Do you still have family there?
Yeah?
Yeah, especially in the VIRGINI it's most of my family from Jamaica is in South Florida now, but growing up would always go back.
I spend summers over there all summer, so until high school.
Then I started playing football, but still got some family over there. Trying to go back this offseason, so take my son out there for the first time.
What unhealthy food do you find hard to resist unhealthy?
I really know if it's unhealthy. I mean, I mean, I'm like, I'm Jamaican, so I eat ox till.
I don't really feel like that's unhealthy though.
Is it Fatty's?
But it is fatty It's kind of like I mean, I guess it's like I could be like barbecueish beef. So I guess it can be.
But ox Hill, I mean anything fried, I work it off. So you know, every now and then I enjoyed. I enjoy a nice meal, but as you should.
Yeah, i'd say those What do you like to spend your money on?
Ah See, I'm a.
Kid at heart, so like like electric go carts, electric bikes, that kind of stuff. I mean, I just got into watches again. I got a son now, so he's gonna get a lot of those electric Like I just got him elect I got him a trike, so those kind of things. I like to just spun money on vacations experiences.
So your son's gonna love it. A dad who likes electronic things to be perfect for him. Final fun fact for Khalil Herbert, This one's kind of deep. If you could meet anybody in history, living or deceased, who would that person be?
Dang, I got two so Jesus and probably like great great grandparents or something, just to kind of see like where my family.
I know where they came from, but just like see how it was like living back then on not this and stuff.
So yeah, a good answer. Appreciate your time, Thanks so much, Thank you. That's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth Podcast, brought to you by pay Core, Proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health
is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. If you haven't done so already, please subscribe to this podcast and if you have a minute, give it a rating or share a comment that helps more Bengals fans find us. I'm Dan Hord and thanks for listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast.