Dexter Lawrence II keeps finding ways to leave his mark on Bengals games, and on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, he turned a defensive play into a celebration.
In the third quarter of Cincinnati’s NFL Week 8 overtime win at Paycor Stadium, Lawrence scooped up a fumble and took it back 8 yards to the Titans’ 17-yard line. After the return, the Bengals broke out a “Sexy Dexy” celebration with him and his teammates.
The turnover came on a strip-sack by teammate Boye Mafe, who forced Titans quarterback Cam Ward to cough it up. Cincinnati wasted no time cashing in, scoring a touchdown on the very next snap when Joe Burrow hit Tee Higgins for a score.
Lawrence wasn’t done making life miserable for Tennessee. He also delivered a huge sack of Ward late in the fourth quarter.
“That's why he traded for a guy like that,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “And he stepped up and (has) been the impact player we hoped he would be.”
That performance fit the pattern Lawrence has built early in his Bengals run. The NFL shared mic’d up video of his fourth-quarter sack of Ravens quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley during Cincinnati’s Week 7 rout of Baltimore. Taylor also said he had never seen a play like Lawrence’s leap to stop Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis’ first-quarter sneak attempt on second-and-goal in the Bengals’ Week 5 win in Miami, comparing him to a flying squirrel.
Around the league, Lawrence has already been a talking point. CBS studio analyst and former NFL offensive lineman Kyle Long weighed in during the week on a clip of Steelers lineman Mason McCormick grabbing Lawrence’s leg and lifting it off the ground while trying to contain him in Week 3. Steelers receiver DK Metcalf also yelled at Lawrence after a brief skirmish between the teams.
The Bengals have shown off Lawrence plenty, too, including a miked-up video from the team’s Week 2 win against Houston. And this all comes after Lawrence was introduced with his signature “Sexy Dexy” dance before Cincinnati’s Week 1 game against Tampa Bay.
Acquired from the New York Giants in a trade for the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Lawrence has already drawn praise for the move that brought him to Cincinnati. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that one AFC executive thought the Bengals were especially savvy in landing him. Lawrence’s one-year, $28-million extension with the Bengals also opened up nearly $5M of 2026 cap space, according to Spotrac.
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