Bengals Bytes (10/8): Cincinnati keeps rolling with their late game magic

Like The Old Days, D-Line Saves Day
As a former NFL Man of the Year nominee, the stately Johnson, a 10th year right end, was the Bengals’ man in Dallas to call out both third-round picks for the television audience. Hubbard, an Ohio State right end, was the first at No. 77 and then here was a beaming Johnson calling Hubbard’s name again in a relieved and resolved Paul Brown Stadium locker room after they had each saved Sunday’s outrageously torrid fourth quarter to score their first NFL touchdowns to cap another Cardiac Cats comeback.

Joltin' Joe Saves Best For Last
Bengals offensive coordinator Bill Lazor didn’t give up on the run and running back Joe Mixon flat didn’t give up during Sunday’s resourceful 27-17 victory over Miami that featured Mixon’s gutty 115 total yards and his first pro receiving touchdown.

Quick Hits: Dunlap Does It All; Another Historic Comeback; Mixon's First TD Catch and Green's Record Catch
Left end Carlos Dunlap, whose sack-strip of Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill led to rookie Sam Hubbard’s 19-yard fumble return for Sunday’s clinching Bengals touchdown with 2:37 left at Paul Brown Stadium, couldn’t resist sticking his cell phone into the post-game media mob surrounding Hubbard.

Bengals Postgame Quotes: Week 5 vs. Miami
“It’s a good to win a football game when you don’t play your best. We had some opportunities (and then had) points taken off the board with that blocked field goal. And there was the punt return for a touchdown. So there’s a lot of things we get to go back to work and grind at and coach. We’ll coach our tails off this week to be better. There’s a lot of things to coach to be better.

NFL Week 5 Grades: Bengals and Browns earn 'A's, Broncos fail miserably in loss to Jets
With the Bengals trailing in the second half, the defense came through with two huge touchdowns. First, Michael Johnson pulled off the wildest pick-six that you'll see all year when he took a deflected pass from Ryan Tannehill and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown that tied the game at 17.

AFC North-leading Bengals host Steelers in Week 6
A year ago, Cincinnati came out of a bye and went to Pittsburgh and took a 29-14 punch on the nose. The Bengals showed more fight in a 23-20 loss at home on Monday Night Football later in the season, but fatigue and losing guys like Vontaze Burfict to injury created a downward spiral culminating in losses of 33-7 and 34-7 outcomes in the following weeks.

Bengals continue to pull out late-game magic to defeat Dolphins
But the team that used to be plagued by the inability to finish games has somehow turned into the team that finds a way to smother its opponent at the end. They did it to the Ravens, Colts and Falcons, and now they've added the Dolphins to that list.

Bengals defenders Michael Johnson, Sam Hubbard share special bond, special day
CINCINNATI – Michael Johnson has taken Sam Hubbard under his wing. Johnson, a 10th-year defensive lineman, and Hubbard, a rookie defensive end, have developed a strong bond since the Bengals drafted the Moeller High product from Ohio State last April.

Marvin’s mantra continues to fit as Bengals ‘strain to finish’ for another win
There are several common threads running through Marvin Lewis’ tenure as Bengals head coach, one off which involves a common use of threads. The Marvin Lewis T-shirt has become an annual tradition, and an annual punchline as the slogans he picks for the shirts often are hokey

Bengals defense leads 27-point surge in win over Dolphins
Rookie Sam Hubbard was disappointed as Ryan Tannehill slipped past him, avoiding a sack. A moment later, the football slipped out of the quarterback's grasp and flew right to Hubbard, who was as surprised as anyone to have it in his hands.

Random Bytes

Behind Healthy Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt, the Texans Are Coming for the AFC
That may or may not be enough to win a championship this season, but we got a reminder Sunday night that Houston should be considered a threat in the AFC so long as quarterback Deshaun Watson and defensive end J.J. Watt are healthy.

Jon Gruden thinks Derek Carr 'presses' at key moments
Carr accounted for an interception in Sunday's 26-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and it came on a first-and-goal at the Chargers' 1-yard line. Instead of calling for a handoff to running back Marshawn Lynch, the Raiders put the ball in Carr's hands, resulting in disaster and erasing an opportunity to put points on the board.

The Eagles Have Officially Lost Their Super Bowl Mojo
This combination of ingredients allowed the Philadelphia Eagles to produce a 13-3 record and ride a wave of success throughout the playoffs toward the organization's first Super Bowl victory. After Sunday's 23-21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, it's clear some of the ingredients are missing. The Eagles have now lost as many games through five weeks as they did all last year.

Chiefs Showing Their Dominance Is Bigger Than Patrick Mahomes' Heroics
Jalen Ramsey, the chatty godsend who has dominated the past few NFL seasons on the field with his play and off the field with his mouth, spent part of this past week mocking the Chiefs' Tyreek Hill.

Mason Crosby Misses 4 Field Goals and an Extra Point in Packers' Loss to Lions
Crosby missed his first four field-goal attempts before connecting on a 41-yarder with seven seconds remaining. He also missed an extra point with 9:01 left in the game following Davante Adams' 12-yard touchdown reception to bring Green Bay to within 11 points.