Zac Taylor explains trick-play call that gave Bengals lineman Cody Ford a birthday highlight

Offensive lineman Cody Ford had a special birthday on Sunday when the Cincinnati Bengals blew out the Arizona Cardinals, 37-14.

The 29-year-old had the highlight of the game when the 350-pounder caught a pass from quarterback Joe Burrow in the flat, broke off multiple tackles before gaining 20 yards.

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The electric play resulted in chants of “Cody! Cody! Cody!” from Bengals fans at Paycor Stadium. Those chants continued after the game in the locker room among his teammates.

Zac Taylor wanted Ford to go down, but ‘he just kept breaking tackles’

Head coach Zac Taylor discussed the decision to let Ford catch a pass late in the third quarter with a 23-point lead. He said the call was only in the playbook for a week.

Just to keep the guys in the o-line room, keep that energy sky high. We practiced it, he caught it during the week.

According to reporters in the postgame news conference, the crowd grew restless that Ford didn’t get a second touch or a chance to get the ball at the goal line. Ford was stopped within the 5-yard mark.

Asked if a thought crossed his mind to give Ford another shot, Taylor was clear.

“No chance,” the seventh-year head coach said.

“That was the one play we would like to get him the ball,” he added. “The corner played pretty tight to start, I think (Burrow) kind of gave some shoulders to loosen him up. He made a good throw and catch.

“I wanted (Ford) to just go down and he just kept breaking tackles. That was pretty impressive.”

Ford signed a two-year contract extension with the Bengals in March.