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The Rams edged out the Bengals, 23-20, in a thrilling Super Bowl 2022 that came down to the final drive. It’s tough to fault a team that almost won it all, but when the big game is so close, it’s impossible not to look at the ways things could have gone differently.
One major thing to point to is Bengals coach Zac Taylor’s baffling use of his running backs. Cincinnati has Pro Bowler Joe Mixon on the roster, yet repeatedly went to far less athletic and talented backup Samaje Perine in crucial situations.
The first came on the Bengals’ first drive of the game. Cincinnati drove to the 50-yard line and faced a third-and-1, opting to run the ball. However, instead of Mixon on the field, it was Perine — a much slower back who got no burst and failed to gain the first down.
On replay, it certainly seems like a more explosive back like Mixon would’ve had enough space to pick up the yard. Instead, Cincinnati faced fourth down. Taylor opted to go for it — a wise decision considering the field position — but Joe Burrow’s pass fell incomplete. They came away with no points and the Rams drove for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
The more egregious example occurred on the team’s last drive, on the two most crucial plays of the game. Almost identically to their first drive, they faced another third-and-1 from the 50-yard line. And again, they went back to Perine – who again didn’t pick up the necessary yardage.
Perine has been the Bengals’ third-down back all season, and he did make a game-changing play in the AFC Championship game, so it’s not like Taylor surprised anyone with the personnel usage. But just because that’s the way it’s been all season, doesn’t mean it has to be the way it is in the Super Bowl. Maybe – just maybe – you might want to put the better player in, with the game on the line?
“Yeah, they were getting a little softer and we thought we could steal a first down there and come back and take some shots at the end zone,” Taylor told reporters about the that third-down decision. “Just didn’t work out.”
Cincinnati had one play left, and on fourth down, Taylor opted to keep Perine in the game. Their play was blown up by Aaron Donald, but Burrow managed to flip a prayer out in Perine’s direction as he was getting tackled.
It wasn’t exactly in his bread basket, but did Perine have a chance to dive for it? Would Mixon – who actually had a higher yards per catch and yards per target on the season despite Perine being the “receiving back” – have been able to run that route, and possibly secure the catch?
Taylor did a fine job throughout the season, and deserves credit for getting the Bengals – who won six games in his first two seasons – to the Super Bowl. But three times, in three of the biggest moments, he put the game in the hands of a journeyman backup running back instead of Mixon, Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins.
Considering how close the game ended up being, those decisions may haunt him forever.
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