Cincinnati Bengals Top 10 Plays From 2020 Season

Check out the top plays from the 2020 season!

There are plenty of adjectives to describe a four-win season in the NFL, but "exciting" usually doesn't make the cut, yet the 2020 Cincinnati Bengals squad had its fair share of moments. Now that the season is firmly in the rearview mirror, there's been time to pour through each game and find the top plays from the 2020 season.

Despite a last place finish in the AFC North, this team had enough highlights to make this top 10 list tough to crack. Here's a three-factor grading system used on each play to narrow down the field from over 30 highlights to the top ten nominees.

TECHNICAL PRECISION: Assessing the play's degree of difficulty.

WOW FACTOR: Grading the excitement level of the highlight in the flow of the game.

GAME IMPACT: Level of effect on the outcome of the game.

Utilizing "wow" factor as the tiebreaker, all three of those benchmarks are ranked on a 10-point sliding scale in each category, then added together for the final score. 

Without further ado, here are the top ten plays of the 2020 Bengals season.

10. Joe Burrow's First NFL Touchdown — 26 Points

A moment months in the making, Burrow and the offense struggled to get rolling out of the gate against the LA Chargers. The unit amassed just 16 yards on their first three drives of the season. Burrow changed that by running 23 yards untouched on this electric touchdown in a 16-13 heartbreaking loss to the Chargers.

9. Samaje Perine 46-Yard Touchdown Run — 27 Points

The best offensive showing of the Zac Taylor Era makes a few appearances on this list, including Perine's 46-yard run to pay dirt. The Texans and Bengals were tied 10-10 when Perine busted through arm tackles in the second level and made a house call. The 46-yard hammer stroke was the Bengals' longest rushing touchdown since 2016, and it helped carry Zac Taylor to his first road win.

8. Vonn Bell Forced Fumble — 27 Points

Bell had a knack for being around the ball all season, and this play against the New York Giants was no different. It only ended up turning into a field goal, but the coordination and awareness Bell shows here are second to none. Bell arrives at the play right when Evan Engram makes a football move.

One punch and the ball is out, all while Bell recovers it in spinning motion on the ground. He finished tied for 13th in the NFL with a career-high three forced fumbles.

7. Jessie Bates III Steals A Lunch — 28 Points

The first Bengals player named to an All-Pro team since 2015, Bates made standout plays throughout the year, but this one stood out from the rest. All of Bates' development in coverage is on full display here against the Titans as he jumps A.J. Brown's route. The play likely saved a touchdown in Taylor's first victory over a winning team.

Bates led all safeties with 15 pass breakups.

6. Ryan Finley QB Keeper — 28 Points

The shock heard round the world from the banks of the Ohio River. The Bengals upset the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 in Week 15 with some luck and plenty of timely play calls, including this one. Taylor leaned on the unknown rushing ability of Finley to create offensive magic.

One read later, and Finley had the Bengals in the end zone. Nearly identical to Burrow's first career score, Finley had the perfect opportunity and took it. According to Stathead, Cincinnati was the first team since the 2011 St. Louis Rams to win a home game as 14-plus point underdogs.

5. Brandon Wilson 103-Yard Kickoff Return — 29 Points

Brandon Wilson has returned a kickoff for a touchdown in back-to-back seasons. This time it was against the Giants. Wilson has been ranked among the top-six in kickoff return average over the past two years. He was shot out of a cannon on this play, taking the shortest path he saw to pay dirt.

The return goes into the record books as the longest play in Bengals' history.

4. Tyler Boyd No-Look Catch — 29 Points

Magician.

The first word that came to mind when seeing Boyd whip his head [and hands] around at the perfect time to catch this ball from Burrow. Gio Bernard punched the drive home for six points a few plays later. Boyd's third-down catch played a factor and was another highlight of his slot prowess.

The veteran finished 2020 ranked seventh in the NFL with 661 receiving yards from the slot.

3. Sam Hubbard Seals Up a Road Win — 29 Points

It seemed as the offense grew stronger throughout the season, the defense kept getting worse. Games were playing out that way as well, with Lou Anarumo's unit struggling to counter their opponents' game plan.

Hubbard squashed that narrative [at least for one drive] when he stripped Deshaun Watson to seal the Bengals' Week 16 victory over Houston. Cincinnati had been privy to giving up points at the end of halves throughout the Taylor Era. Hubbard made a play and helped notch the Bengals' first road victory in more than two years. 

2. Tee Higgins Sneaks In The Feet — 30 Points

One of two "perfect" plays from this season, Brandon Allen and Higgins combine for the best pitch-and-catch of the year. This was the Allen coming out party. He threw for a career-high 371 yards and two touchdowns, including this gem. Hard to make a better catch than Higgins does on this ball. The elite body control scouts lauded him for coming out of Clemson was on full display during this studio production.

Higgins finished the season as the Bengals' second-highest graded player on offense, finishing with a 75.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

1. Corvette, Corvette Back To Pittsburgh — 30 Points

“They’re on top right now so you can’t really say nothing right now. You’ve got to go out there between the lines," Vonn Bell said before facing Juju Smith-Schuster and the Steelers. "Go out there and hit him, and let him know where he stands.”

Bell let him know with a little extra juice for effect. The massive hit forced Smith-Schuster to fumble and sparked the entire Bengals' sideline.

Cincinnati took their first lead of the game on a field goal a few plays later and never looked back in the 27-17 upset victory. The achievement marked their first home win over the Steelers since 2013. Bell was more than ready for his play to do the talking. This game became Cincinnati's Super Bowl in a sense, and the whole locker room approached it with unbridled intensity. From social media to the gridiron, Bell made a lasting impact on the football world with that hit.

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