Bengals finally gave us the moment we've been waiting for and it was crucial in win over Dolphins
One play after safety Von Bell set the table for the Cincinnati Bengals to finish the game with a score, Joe Burrow's offense faced second-and-seven from the Miami Dolphins' 45-yard line with 2:58 left on the clock. Coming off of a timeout called by Miami, the Bengals showed 11 personnel and a single back formation […]
One play after safety Von Bell set the table for the Cincinnati Bengals to finish the game with a score, Joe Burrow's offense faced second-and-seven from the Miami Dolphins' 45-yard line with 2:58 left on the clock.
Coming off of a timeout called by Miami, the Bengals showed 11 personnel and a single back formation with Burrow under center. Instead of snapping the ball, the quarterback took a few steps back suddenly showing a shotgun formation and snapping the ball.
The Dolphins blitzed while Burrow targeted Ja'Marr Chase – facing one-on-one coverage – on a deep go route for a 35-yard gain and a first-and-goal. The play served as the dagger to finish the Dolphins, as the Bengals would go on to score a touchdown and win the game 27-15.
"They're expecting (a) run," said analyst Kirk Herbstreit on the Prime Video broadcast. "An aggressive play call from Zac Taylor."
That brief moment was a glimpse to what the Bengals can be – but aren't yet – in 2022.
The gutsy decision to put the game in Burrow and Chase's hands to finish the game when you could have played it safe and wind out the clock versus a backup quarterback is precisely what we've been waiting for.
What had taken them so long?
Take the Bengals' decision to kick a field goal at the Dolphins' one-yard line as an example. Down by one point, Cincinnati decided to kick the three to take a two-point lead. That's not even a one-field goal lead.
According to Ben Baldwin's fourth-down model, Zac Taylor's decision cost the Bengals over 7% in win probability.
"He trusted the defense by opting for the two-point lead," some might say. But if you trust your defense that much against a backup quarterback, shouldn't you give your Joe Burrow-led offense a chance at scoring knowing the worst that can happen is giving your opponent the ball back deep in their own territory?
When the Bengals did go for it on fourth-and-one earlier in the game, the play-call was close to inexcusable. Instead of opting for a quick hitter and keeping it simple, Taylor dialed up an east-west run play that took forever to develop.
It even resembled the play-call made last week that Taylor himself described as a mistake postgame.
Not to mention, once more, the Bengals were overly conservative on early downs. While that's nothing new for Cincy, it was particularly frustrating on a night in which they couldn't run the football.
Short weeks are never easy in the NFL and we should've expected a game with problems from the start. Thursday Night games are sloppy by rule and a constant reminder that they're a bad idea for everyone except those filling their pockets with cash.
But that final moment in which Taylor dialed up the aggressive play-call to let Joey and Ja'Marr put an exclamation mark to the win is what this conversation is all about. The talent to make another deep playoff run is on the roster.
The coaching staff should buy into that aggressiveness and treat this as the Super Bowl-contending team that it is.
Featured image via Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
