Did we just see the game of the year in Week 5? The Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals played a classic that featured an absurd 5 missed field goals late in regulation and overtime — including 4 that would have won the game. Packers kicker Mason Crosby was responsible for 3 of those misses. And yet, he made his last kick — a 49-yard attempt in OT that lifted the Packers past the Bengals 25-22. For the Bengals, however, it was more about the mistakes of head coach Zac Taylor than it was missed field goals.
Zac Taylor’s mistakes in Bengals’ loss to Packers
It’ll be hard to top what went down in Cincinnati Sunday.
“That was a crazy end to that game,” Crosby said. “That’s insanity. The fact that we kept getting opportunities. You’ve got to give it up to our team, the way we fought to get in that position again. I just wanted so badly to come through there. That’s what I do. I had a couple go bad and I was really happy to hit that last one.”
Crosby’s moment of redemption was only possible because of one particularly horrendous decision by Zac Taylor. Taylor coached not to lose Sunday — and lost because of it.
After having a front-row seat for Crosby’s meltdown plus an earlier long miss by his own kicker, Evan McPherson, Taylor settled for a 49-yard attempt on Cincinnati’s only overtime possession, instead of going for it on 4th-and-a foot or two from the Packers’ 32.
What happened next was almost inevitable: McPherson yanked the 49-yard kick left — to his great surprise. He was celebrating as if the game was over and had to be told the kick was no good.
“I struck it really well, and I saw it going right down the middle,” McPherson, a rookie out of the University of Florida, told reporters. “I couldn’t really tell you. Maybe it hit a big gust of wind at the last second.”
Regardless of how it happened, the miss gave Aaron Rodgers one more chance. Rodgers made the most of it. With a perfect final throw to Randall Cobb that went for 15 yards, Rodgers put the Packers in position to give Crosby his last chance.
Had Taylor gone for it on the previous possession, the Bengals would have had a chance to close out the game on their terms. Another first down would have presumably gotten the Bengals closer and given McPherson a better chance to make the kick. And it would have drained the clock, leaving Rodgers very little time to get the Packers in field-goal position in the event McPherson missed.
But that wasn’t the only way Taylor hurt his team Sunday. His game management late was egregious. Joe Burrow had a hot hand, but Taylor stubbornly stuck with the run. That included late in regulation when he had Samaje Perine plow into the line of scrimmage on 3rd-and-5 from the Packers’ 42.
Perine was stopped short of the sticks, and Taylor was content having McPherson try a 57-yarder, which would have been the longest make in his young career. Of course, McPherson missed that one too.
Joe Burrow injured, hospitalized after Week 5 game
Adding injury to insult, Joe Burrow suffered a throat contusion during the game. He was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation, the team announced.
Burrow — who completed 26 of 38 passes for 281 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions — took a number of hellacious shots Sunday, including when he got high-lowed on a scramble. His head hit the turf hard when he landed. Burrow needed some medical attention but quickly returned to the game.
Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase told reporters that Burrow did not appear to have any trouble speaking after the game.
Joe Burrow got injured on this play.
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 10, 2021
