The Cincinnati Bengals were feeling pretty good about themselves entering today’s game in Oakland. Cincinnati was 7-2 and in first place in the AFC North, and their two division rivals, the Ravens and Steelers, had both lost early games this afternoon.
But the Bengals won’t be feeling so good about themselves tonight as they fly home from Oakland.
In a shocking upset that will reshape the AFC playoff race, the Raiders scored 10 points in the final 41 seconds to beat the Bengals, 20-17.
The Bengals had a 17-10 lead that appeared to be safe in the fourth quarter, but Louis Murphy reeled in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Bruce Gradkowski with 41 seconds remaining to tie the score.
Bengals return man Andre Caldwell fumbled the ensuing kickoff, the Raiders recovered, and Oakland didn’t even try to advance the ball before sending in Sebastian Janikowski in for the game-winning field goal.
Now the Bengals are 7-3, and the AFC North race is still a race. The Raiders, at 3-7, aren’t playoff contenders, but they’re not the laughingstocks of the NFL they’re sometimes portrayed as: Oakland usually plays competitive football.
And the biggest winners may have been the Colts, who now have a three-game lead over the rest of the AFC.
