Bengals' Disastrous Trick Play Left Peyton Manning Befuddled on Manningcast

The Bengals tried to add a bit of flair to the offense during the first quarter against the Jaguars on Monday Night Football, dialing up an obscure trick play during their second drive of the game.

However, the call didn’t go to plan and Peyton Manning’s reaction on the Manningcast summed up the result perfectly.

Cincinnati ran a reverse with receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who was expected to throw the ball back to quarterback Jake Browning across the field. Chase lost his footing and slipped, before throwing a forward pass to Browning, who was immediately smothered by the defense for a loss of yards.

Both Manning brothers provided similar reactions to the failed trick play, which likely closely resembled the reaction of Bengals fans watching the game at home. 

Not a great Bengals trick play pic.twitter.com/jl5e5FgumO

— Alex ???? (@Dubs408) December 5, 2023

“Oh no,” said Eli, while Peyton could be seen cringing with his hands on his head.

The Bengals had put together a solid drive up to that point, but their negative trick play stalled them out, resulting in a missed 57-yard field goal from kicker Evan McPherson.

The Manning brothers weren’t the only ones confused by Cincinnati’s attempted trickery, as fans on social media were also left scratching their heads after the failed trick play.

What….was that

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) December 5, 2023

Oh, dear. That was bad.

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) December 5, 2023

When you have rhythm going offensively, I have never liked when a trick play is thrown in there…

— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) December 5, 2023