The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Denver Broncos in one of the most exciting games of the season. However, all the drama that took place on Saturday at Paycor Stadium was the product of head coach Zac Taylor’s mistakes, said former player and analyst Jason Kelce.
Cincinnati desperately needed the win to stay alive in the playoff race. Perhaps that’s why Taylor wanted to secure the victory with a quick touchdown that put them up 24-17 but left Denver with 1:31 on the clock and two timeouts.
Denver tied the game with eight seconds left, and although they ultimately lost in overtime 30-24, none of this would have been necessary if Taylor had managed the clock better. The criticism was not long in coming from fans and analysts, led by Kelce.
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Taylor is getting the slams
In a message on X (formerly Twitter) at the height of the game, Jason Kelce wrote, “It probably won’t end up mattering, and I know Cincy lost a game earlier this year on a botched FG, but why is Cincinnati giving the Broncos an opportunity to win or tie the game?”
Kelce was not the only one. Former quarterback Chase Daniel was more forceful, claiming, “WHY ARE THEY SCORING??? Run the clock all the way down and kick a FG.” In a follow-up post, Daniel claimed, “WHY????? Broncos would’ve had 22 seconds if Bengals don’t score a touchdown. Just football malpractice at its best.”
Darius Butler was also not happy with Taylor’s management of the clock. “Confused by the TD right there. Why give Denver a shot w/ 2 timeouts. Chase Brown got hurt for nothing,” the former Indianapolis Colts star claimed.
Cincinnati’s chances
In the end, the win left Cincinnati still in contention for the postseason. At 9-7, they have to beat the Steelers in Week 18, hope Denver loses to Kansas City, and hope Miami and Indianapolis lose at least one of their final two games.
If one of those four conditions is not met, the Bengals will be out, and the hard-fought win against the Broncos will have been for nothing. Fans can only hope Taylor has learned his lesson and will make them suffer less in their upcoming games.
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