The Rams edged out the Bengals, 23-20, in an exhilarating Tremendous Bowl 2022 that got here right down to the ultimate drive. It’s powerful to fault a crew that just about received all of it, however when the large sport is so shut, it’s not possible not to have a look at the methods issues may have gone in a different way.
One main factor to level to is Bengals coach Zac Taylor’s baffling use of his working backs. Cincinnati has Professional Bowler Joe Mixon on the roster, but repeatedly went to far much less athletic and gifted backup Samaje Perine in essential conditions.
The primary got here on the Bengals’ first drive of the sport. Cincinnati drove to the 50-yard line and confronted a third-and-1, opting to run the ball. Nonetheless, as an alternative of Mixon on the sphere, it was Perine — a slower again who obtained no burst and failed to realize the primary down.
On replay, it definitely looks as if a extra explosive again like Mixon would’ve had sufficient house to select up the yard. As an alternative, Cincinnati confronted fourth down. Taylor opted to go for it — a smart resolution contemplating the sphere place — however Joe Burrow’s cross fell incomplete. They got here away with no factors and the Rams drove for a landing and a 7-0 lead.
The extra egregious instance occurred on the crew’s final drive, on the 2 most important performs of the sport. Nearly identically to their first drive, they confronted a third-and-1 from the 50-yard line. And once more, they went again to Perine – who once more didn’t decide up the required yardage.
Perine has been the Bengals’ third-down again all season, and he did make a game-changing play within the AFC Championship sport, so it’s not like Taylor shocked anybody with the personnel utilization. However simply because that’s the way in which it’s been all season, doesn’t imply it must be the way in which it's within the Tremendous Bowl. Possibly – simply perhaps – you would possibly wish to put the higher participant in, with the sport on the road?
“Yeah, they had been getting a little bit softer and we thought we may steal a primary down there and are available again and take some pictures on the finish zone,” Taylor informed reporters concerning the that third-down resolution. “Simply didn’t work out.”
Cincinnati had one play left, and on fourth down, Taylor opted to maintain Perine within the sport. Their play was blown up by Aaron Donald, however Burrow managed to flip a prayer out in Perine’s course as he was getting tackled.
It wasn’t precisely in his bread basket, however did Perine have an opportunity to dive for it? Would Mixon – who really had the next yards per catch and yards per goal on the season regardless of Perine being the “receiving again” – have been capable of run that route, and probably safe the catch?
Taylor did a positive job all through the season, and deserves credit score for getting the Bengals – who received six video games in his first two seasons – to the Tremendous Bowl. However thrice, in three of the largest moments, he put the sport within the palms of a journeyman backup working again as an alternative of Mixon, Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins.
Contemplating how shut the sport ended up being, these choices could hang-out him without end.
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