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          Bengals hit flea-flicker for 45-yard touchdown vs. Browns

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterDec 11, 2022, 03:26 PM ET
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bengals pulled a trick play out of the bag to open up a big lead against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

          With Cincinnati driving down the field at Paycor Stadium, coach Zac Taylor called for a flea-flicker that couldn't have been drawn up any better.

          After quarterback Joe Burrow handed the ball off to running back Joe Mixon, Mixon pitched the ball back to Burrow, who threw downfield to a wide-open Trenton Irwin. Irwin caught the ball for a 45-yard touchdown to give the Bengals a 20-3 lead with 7 minutes, 26 seconds left in the third quarter.

          According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Irwin had 6 yards of separation when the ball arrived. The big play gave Cincinnati some needed cushion against a Browns squad that has won five straight against the Bengals.