Trick plays can be wonderful. As the Bengals found out the hard way, they can also be absolutely atrocious. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd threw one of the worst interceptions you'll ever see right to Jaguars star Josh Allen in the third quarter Monday night, deep in Cincinnati's own territory.
Josh Allen intercepts the trick play!
— NFL (@NFL) December 5, 2023
📺: #CINvsJAX on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/JZL7uE8ZOm pic.twitter.com/YBJ5nutltt
What's more, the Jaguars had already sniffed out a similar wide receiver pass play earlier in the game -- Ja'Marr Chase completed a pass to Browning for negative-seven yards -- and the Bengals certainly didn't need anyone other than Browning throwing the ball after his excellent first half (17-for-19, 178 yards passing, no turnovers).
It was the first interception thrown by a non-quarterback this season and the first interception thrown by a Bengals non-quarterback since Corey Dillon in 2001.
There's not a whole lot to analyze here: Jake Browning gets blown up right after throwing the ball backwards to Boyd, and Boyd immediately looks uncomfortable. Joe Mixon is open on the far side of the field, but it would have required a very accurate, long throw by a player unaccustomed to throwing the ball much, and the result was disastrous. NFL Next Gen Stats quantified just how disastrous:
The Bengals lost -12.4% in win probability on Josh Allen's interception of Tyler Boyd.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 5, 2023
🔸 Pre-Snap Win Probability: 30.5%
🔸 Post-INT Win Probability: 18.1%#CINvsJAX | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/FwkgAZN48E
The Jaguars would take the lead four plays later with a Trevor Lawrence one-yard touchdown sneak.
