Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor faced a mix of praise and criticism after going for two points instead of a potential game-tying extra point late in the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s pass to Tanner Hudson fell incomplete and sealed a 35-34 win for the Ravens.
Three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Burrow to get the Bengals within one point, was among those who voiced support for Taylor’s aggressive approach late in the game.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase poses with a chain after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore Nov. 7, 2024. (Tommy Gilligan/Imagn Images)
“Hell yeah. I agree with it 100%,” the star wide receiver told reporters about the coach’s decision to go for the win instead of the tie in the final seconds of the game.
Chase finished the night with 264 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
After the game, Taylor made it clear the Bengals went to Baltimore “to win.”
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“We expected to come in here to win, and we did everything we could to do that. That doesn’t change the fact that I’m proud. I think everybody on that field fought, gave us a chance. [We] lost a game on the road to a good team, and it’s sickening that this has happened twice to us. That’s what it is,” Taylor told reporters.
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor in the fourth quarter of a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Banks Stadium in Baltimore Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Taylor also called Chase and Burrow’s performance against the Bengals “incredible.”
“That’s a good defense. … They’ve got a ton of talent over there. I thought Ja’Marr stepped up in a major way. And anytime we can just find ways to get him the ball … I thought Joe [Burrow] did a great job of that. And Ja’Marr finished a lot of those plays for us. So, I thought they played excellent.”
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws a pass in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Banks Stadium in Baltimore Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
The loss to the Ravens dropped Cincinnati to 4-6.
Baltimore improved to 7-3. The Bengals will travel to California next week for a matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.
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