‘Philly Special’ goes badly awry as Bengals stumble

By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer

BALTIMORE (AP) — The “Philly Special” fell flat for Cincinnati. That might have cost the Bengals the game. By now, football fans everywhere are familiar with this trick play. Perhaps that was part of the problem. It started as a reverse to receiver Tyler Boyd, with quarterback Joe Burrow slipping out into the flat. When the Eagles ran this play in a Super Bowl, their quarterback was open as a receiving target. But Burrow wasn’t — and Baltimore’s Marcus Peters shoved Boyd to the ground for a 12-yard loss. That turned second-and-goal from the 2 into third down from the 14. It was a huge play in Cincinnati’s 19-17 loss to the Ravens.