If Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor lead his team to a win over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI Sunday evening, he’ll become the second-youngest head coach to ever hoist the Lombardi.
Unfortunately for Zac Taylor and Co., the game did not start out too swimmingly. After forcing a Rams punt to open the first quarter, Taylor opted to go for it on fourth and one from Los Angeles’ 49-yard line.
It’s not that Cincinnati failed on the conversion. Rather, the decision to have Joe Burrow drop back and pass the ball to Ja’Marr Chase was questionable at best.
Cincinnati has one of the best all-around running backs in the game in the form of Joe Mixon. Its running game had been pretty solid throughout the regular season and the team’s playoff run.
In the end, Burrow missed on the pass and set the Rams up with a short field.
Within the matter of minutes, Matthew Stafford hit Odell Beckham Jr. on a 17-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 7-0 lead about midway through the first quarter.
It goes without saying that Taylor’s play-calling came into question early in this one.