When the moment actually came, on his 29th birthday and on the fifth time that Ford reported as an eligible receiver in Sunday’s 37-14 win over Arizona, he stunned everyone. The 345-pound offensive lineman caught a pass out wide around the 18-yard line and rumbled down the sideline, breaking two tackles before finally getting knocked out of bounds for a 21-yard pickup.
His catch took Cincinnati to the 2-yard line, and set up Chase Brown’s second touchdown to make it a 30-point game late in the third quarter.
“I thought (Pitcher) was just pulling my leg because linemen always joke with the coaches like, ‘Hey, throw me the ball, why don’t you throw me the ball?’” Ford said. “And we always talk about it, and I’ve been here three years. They’re like, ‘Hey, you never know when the time’s going to come. We line you up as the big Y, we throw you the ball.’ And then they threw the ball today. That was crazy.”
Ford’s catch tied for third longest by an offensive lineman since at least 2000. Ty Sambrailo, with the Denver Broncos in 2019, recorded the longest in that timeframe with a 35-yard catch, and former Bengals offensive tackle Jake Fisher made a 31-yard catch in 2015.
Minnesota’s Garrett Bradbury also recorded a 21-yard catch in 2021.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said with tight end Noah Fant questionable this week, they knew Ford would be needed in some 12-personnel packages, and it felt like the right time to call the play with a big lead in the third quarter.
Ford said he was a little nervous when he saw the ball actually flying toward him. In practices, Burrow hit him right in the chest, but this one was up near his shoulders. He was wide open, so it would have been embarrassing not to catch it.
“I don’t know where my number was in the progression,” Ford said of the play development. “Joe (Burrow) kept telling me to get wider throughout the week in the formation. I think he was just telling me to get the hell out of the way so I don’t mess with anybody else’s route up, but it was a different story when it all played out.”
Burrow said he first looked for Chase, then Drew Sample before Ford. He was all for running a play that involved Ford running a route to keep the defense on its toes and just to have “fun.”
“I couldn’t believe what I was watching, but it was sick,” Burrow said.
The yards after the catch, for someone of his stature, were the most impressive part of the play. He hit a max speed of 12.7 miles per hour and produced 15.6 yards after the catch over expectation, according to Next Gen Stats.
Taylor had wanted him to get four yards and go down but couldn’t believe when he saw Ford break tackles and get as far as he did.
Asked about how nimble he looked, Ford joked that he’s “an athlete.” He took some heat from his teammates for not scoring, but Ford said he was just trying to get as far as he could and make the most of his moment.
“Dream come true,” Ford said. “It’s every lineman’s dream to line up as a receiver one time.”
Ford hadn’t caught a pass in a game since junior high, he estimated. He played tight end through his freshman year of high school before switching to offensive line, where he has proven a versatile depth piece for Cincinnati with an ability to play both guard positions and both tackle spots.
This year, Ford is further down the depth chart on the offensive line and most of his opportunities have come on special teams, but he was a key part of the offense Sunday.
Bengals fans – loudly chanting “Cody! Cody! Cody!” – wanted Ford to get a chance to finish off the play as a fullback, and for a brief moment, it looked like that’s what was happening two snaps later at the 1-yard line. Ford lined up in the back field but then shifted forward as Burrow faked a handoff to Brown and threw an incomplete pass to the left side.
Ford joked he’s been pushing for a fullback handoff more than a catch.
Credit: JEREMY MILLER
Credit: JEREMY MILLER
However, Taylor said there was “zero chance” Ford was getting the ball again after managing to pull off such an impressive feat on the reception. Ford exited the next snap, and Brown ran it in for the 37-7 lead, but he loved hearing his name fill the stadium.
“That was a surreal moment,” Ford said. “I’ve never been in a sporting event or anywhere at all where the whole population of who’s there is chanting my name. It was crazy.”
Those same chants filled the locker room after Taylor gave Ford the last game ball in the team’s postgame celebration and asked him to lead the Bengals in their traditional “Who Dey!” cheer.
Ford said he plans to put the game ball in a case in his offseason home in Dallas.
“It was awesome,” Ford said. “I got to feel like one of those guys that catch the ball every day. That was a fun time.”
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