What happened to the Bengals flight after their Christmas Eve win against the Patriots?
Though it must certainly have been a scary moment, the Bengals and their fellow passengers all made it home safely on Christmas Eve. Something that’s definitely worth celebrating.
‘All’s well that ends well’ as a certain British playwright once wrote, but it definitely must have been a nervously unpleasant moment for the Bengals team and other passengers on their flight back home to Cincinnati.
Bengals flight forced to make emergency landing
Saturday night was a wild one for the Bengals. Firstly, their Christmas Eve clash with the Patriots was absolutely insane, but they managed to come out of it with a dramatic 22-18 win. Job done and a Merry Christmas to you. Right? Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. According to reports, the Bengals had even more drama after the final whistle, as the plane they were traveling back home in, was forced to make an emergency landing due to engine trouble.
Following the game, the team took off from Providence airport in Rhode Island just after 7:30 p.m. ET for what was supposed to be a two-hour flight home. In what must have been a less than ideal experience, however, the flight time more than doubled as a result of the plane’s problems. As per reports, the plane then diverted to JFK airport in New York city where it is understood that it landed just under an hour after takeoff in Providence. Immediately after landing, the team disembarked in order to transfer to another plane. Indeed, one passenger indicated that though it wasn’t ideal, everything was fine in the end. “A little rough but it was okay! Landed safely.” As a point to note, the original flight plan had the flight landing in Cincinnati at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET, but ultimately the Bengals arrived just after 1:00 a.m. ET.
No Place like Home: The Bengals don’t have to fly again in 2022
Though they must have certainly had a scare on their flight, the Bengals can at least take comfort in the idea that it will be a while before they have to board a plane again. With their final two games of the season being played at home, they can even extend their ‘no fly’ period if they can clinch the AFC North. Indeed, should they take the division they’ll also be able to play the resulting wild-card game at home, which in turn could mean the next time they fly would be January 21st or 22nd. At any rate, they can breathe a little easier now where flying is concerned.
Concerning what comes next, the Bengals are now 11-4 following their win over the Patriots. What that means, is that if they can drop the Bills in Week 17, they could well have a chance at taking the No. 1 spot in the AFC. In truth, the Bengals could actually clinch the AFC North with a win against Buffalo and a Ravens loss to the Steelers. That’s all to say, watch this space.