The Cincinnati Bengals fell to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI. The stakes were the highest they could be. It was Cincinnati's first time in the big game since 1989, and the franchise has never won a Super Bowl.
The game came down to the final drive and the final minute of play. The Bengals were on the Rams' 49-yard line on third and one with 43 seconds on the clock. Head coach Zac Taylor called the play. Burrow handed the ball off to running back Samaje Perine, who couldn't come up with the first down, ultimately ending the game.
Why did the Bengals head coach choose Perine over Joe Mixon, who had 91 percent of the team's rushing yards and 75 percent of their attempts in the game?
Bengals reporter Mike Petraglia tweeted Taylor's explanation Wednesday morning.
Why Samaje Perine over Joe Mixon on third-and-1 at the Rams' 49? Zac Taylor explains: #Bengals pic.twitter.com/5lLwKCZM2K
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) February 16, 2022
“Samaje has done a great job. His role has really been as a protecting back and a lot of the things that come with that, off of that. It's one of those situations where I called the play a little later on the clock…I was the one that said leave him in there,” the Bengals coach explained.
He also noted that Justin Hill, one of the Bengals' running backs coaches, asked him if he wanted to make the change. However, Taylor said he was the one who kept Perine in there and acknowledged that the decision “didn't work out” for them.
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