GREEN BAY, Wisconsin − The Cincinnati Bengals still have life, even at 2-4 and having lost four straight games.
The Bengals lost 27-18 to the Packers at Lambeau Field on Oct. 12, but the big-picture takeaway from the game was Cincinnati showed the NFL and itself that there’s still reason for optimism in 2025. The Bengals left with a quiet, subdued air of confidence after their late-arriving comeback attempt fell just short.
After less than a week as a Bengal, quarterback Joe Flacco appeared to get his footing late in the first half of the game and led his new team to five consecutive drives that ended with points or a field-goal attempt, ultimately challenging the favored Packers.
Cincinnati’s comeback followed a slow, disjointed start that included a scoreless first quarter, but the Bengals offense rolled starting on the final drive of the first half.
Here’s a list of superlatives that help make sense of what transpired for Cincinnati in Week 6:
Most Valuable Player in Bengals vs. Packers game
While Flacco and his opposite number, Green Bay’s Jordan Love, impressed, Ja’Marr Chase impressed the most. Coming off a week in which he battled an undisclosed illness, Chase ended up with 10 catches for 94 yards and a circus touchdown catch with about four minutes to play.
Sure, Green Bay won the game, but no one Packers player can claim to have had as much impact on the game as Chase did. He also linked up with Flacco in the way everyone hoped the two players would eventually find one another.
Most crucial play in Green Bay’s win over Cincinnati Bengals
There’s a strong case to be made that the biggest play of the game was a timeout called by Packers head coach Matt LaFleur just prior to the final play of the first half. That was a huge moment because Bengals kicker Evan McPherson kissed the ball off the crossbar and through for what would have been 1) an NFL-record 67-yard field goal and 2) three vital points on the final play of the first half with the Bengals set to re-take possession at the start of the third quarter.
Assuming everything else in the game played out as it did, that would have made the Bengals’ final drive of regulation a potential drive to win the game. But minus that 67-yarder, the Bengals trailed by two scores in actuality and opted for a long, risky McPherson kick as soon as they crossed midfield. McPherson missed the kick, and the comeback was finished for good at that point.
But we can’t say to a certainty that the game would have played out exactly the same, and we’ll never know.
What we do know is that while the Bengals were down 24-18 and in need of a stop, the Packers converted a third-and-nine on a 31-yard completion from Love to receiver Matthew Golden, who beat Jordan Battle on the play. That allowed the Packers to eventually kick a field goal to make it a two-score game, and the contest was too far gone at that point for Cincinnati.
Golden’s reception was the beginning of the end for Cincinnati after the game had been in doubt for Green Bay in the fourth quarter.
You knew it was over when …
Again, the Golden reception moved the Packers down to the Cincinnati 29-yard line. The drive ended with Lucas Havrisik’s 39-yard field goal to make it 27-18. With 1:52 remaining in regulation, the Bengals’ comeback ran aground right then and there.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals highlights, crucial plays from loss to Packers
