Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Jordan Battle endured the nightmare scenario Sunday with a brutal mistake at the goal line on a fumble return.
Battle recovered a Tony Pollard fumble late in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tn. The defensive back was well on his way to a touchdown with no one capable of catching up to him until he made a huge blunder just shy of the goal line.
Battle lost control of the football moments before crossing the plane into the end zone. The ball went out of the back of the end zone for a touchback, costing the Bengals six points.
Pain 😩
Battle fumbled the ball before crossing the goal line ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/oTQRybH6O4
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 15, 2024
A lot of the time, players who do this are celebrating or taunting too early, but that did not seem to be solely the case for Battle. He looked to be adjusting the football a bit as he neared the goal line, which cost him control. Replays clearly showed that he had lost possession before crossing the goal line, and it was not all that close.
The Bengals were already up 31-14 at the time of the mistake, so it was not necessarily game-changing. Regardless, Battle is going to feel pretty silly watching this back, and he will hopefully be a bit more careful if he finds himself in such a situation again.
