No Bengal is around from the Dec. 22, 2019, Burrow Bowl in Miami, the Dolphins' exhausting 38-35 overtime win that gave the Bengals the first draft pick of the 2020s in the person of record-shattering quarterback Joe Burrow.
Yet one of the two most important figures in the Dolphins' victory that day is one of Burrow's go-to guys in Sunday's game that is one day shy of six years of the Burrow Bowl (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) in Miami and will no doubt have a hand in him making more history Sunday.
Old friend Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Dolphins quarterback that day, routinely credits himself for the Burrow Era in Cincinnati, and well he should since the ex-Bengal threw for 419 yards and four touchdowns.
His main man that day, current Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki, was a second-year player who had six catches for 82 yards that included two touchdowns and a 14-yarder that set up Jason Sanders' 37-yard field goal on the absolutely last snap of a full 70-minute game that took four hours and several lifetimes.
It was his 13-yard touchdown catch from Fitzpatrick with 8:28 left in the third quarter that gave Miami a 28-6 lead before all hell broke loose and the Bengals sliced a 35-12 deficit with just over six minutes left in the game.
"I was young, just trying to make plays. All that stuff," Gesicki said after Friday's practice. "Fitz was the same way. He would call his own plays, and that was one where I was thinking, 'Hey, I might get the ball here,' and it ended coming off a scramble drill."
Gesicki says everybody knew going in that it was the game to see who would get Burrow, LSU's Heisman Trophy winner. But he wasn't thinking of Burrow when he hit the grass with the ball in overtime.
"It's funny how things work out. Now I'm playing with him," Gesicki said. "From an outsider's perspective, it's, 'Oh, you have to lose this game,'" Gesicki said. "Nobody I've ever been around said, 'Let's go lose this game.' Coaches work too hard, and players care too much."
Gesicki remembers it.
How Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton responded the same way he and Fitzpatrick did. How Dalton lofted a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Eifert on the last play of regulation when all his receivers can into the end zone. How he scrambled for the tying two-pointer to throw his last Bengals' road appearance into overtime.
"A crazy sequence, no doubt," said Gesicki, targeted 12 times by the relentless Fitzpatrick. "Classic him. Never knew what to expect. It was fun."
You can't make this stuff up. Burrow returns to the scene of the Burrow Bowl needing just 40 yards in his 75th game for 20,000 career passing yards. Only Patrick Mahomes in 67 games, Matthew Stafford in 71, Dan Marino in 74, and Andrew Luck in 74 got there faster.
Ja'Marr By The Numbers
Before the Rams played Seattle Thursday night pitting the NFL's two leading receivers in Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Rams' Puka Nacua, last year's leader, the Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase, admitted he hadn't looked at the league receiving stats for two weeks.
He figured he probably couldn't catch the NFL-leading Smith-Njigba and his 1,500-plus yards. He wasn't sure what Nacua had, but he planned to watch them both Thursday and to see how defenses played them.
When Chase saw Nacua grab 12 balls for 225 yards and Smith-Njigba throw in 96 more on eight catches, he probably had to conclude he can't catch either. Smith-Njigba leads with 1,635 yards and suddenly Nacua has 1,592 with two games to play.
You can never doubt Chase on anything with three games left as he heads into Miami in fourth place in yards (1,147) and catches (101). Nacua leads the league with 114 catches and Chase has been watching.
"I can see why. He's been incredible this year. Unbelievable catches," Chase said. "That's the thing I see when I turn on his tape. He makes contested catches. I see that all the time."
He likes Smith-Njigba's routes, and "I wonder how he keeps getting past the safeties," for ten touchdowns and a 15.7-yard average.
Neither Smith-Njigba nor Nacua is in danger of duplicating Chase's Triple Crown feat of a year ago. Not with Davante Adams' 14 touchdown catches.
Chase said his father gave him some stats after the last game, but he shrugged, couldn't remember any of it a couple of days later.
It could have been that Chase joined Randy Moss as the only players in NFL history to record 6,500 yards and 50 touchdowns in their first five seasons.
Or it could have been that Chase and the Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown are the only ones in the last three seasons to hit 1,100 yards.
But then, it's always something like that with Chase and history every week.
"That's good, right?" Chase said. "That means I still have good vibes."
Like this:
Chase needs 172 yards to pass Moss for the third-most yards in their first five seasons.
He hasn't caught a touchdown in six straight games, his longest NFL drought, breaking the four straight at the beginning of the 2023 season and the four straight to end that season.
"I think it gets back to a couple of missed opportunities," Chase said.
Slants and Screens
Wide receiver Tee Higgins (concussion) is questionable despite going full Friday …
Rookie edge Shemar Stewart (knee) returning after missing the last five games is fortuitous with edge Joseph Ossai (ankle) ruled out for Sunday …
The once injury-plagued Ossai was looking to extend his consecutive games streak to 46 over the last three seasons …
Returner Charlie Jones (ankle) is ruled out, meaning the newly claimed Ke'Shawn Williams could be up for kicks and punts …
Tight end Noah Fant (ankle) is ruled out …
Backup safety and special teamer P.J. Jules (ankle) is questionable after going full all week …
Second-year defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. (ankle) went to injured reserve with 497 snaps or 53% of the plays, behind only starting tackles B.J. Hill and T.J. Slaton. Hill has been on the injury report this week, but looks good to go for the game.
Jenkins also went to IR hearing the praise of head coach Zac Taylor.
"He's really taken ownership of the defense, taken ownership of the D-Line room. He's become a really smart player," Taylor said after Friday's practice. "The part I did see is his football IQ take a step with all the experience of this year. That element is critical. You see really good D-Linemen in the league, they understand players, they understand the calls, and what's coming at them. That's been a really good step in Kris' progression." …
