The Bengals let a 10-point lead slip away from them in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Ravens, but they ended up with a golden opportunity to win the game in overtime.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was not ready for a shotgun snap and the Bengals got the ball back on the Ravens’ 38-yard line. They moved the ball three yards in three plays before Evan McPherson was called for a 53-yard field goal. However, the shot was less than ideal, and McPherson missed the kick, giving the ball back to the Ravens and winning the game after a long drive by Derrick Henry.
After the loss, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said the team should have gone all out for the first down, and Tee Higgins shared similar sentiments.
“Personally, I think we should have been more aggressive on the first down and the second down just to try to get Evan in better field goal range,” Higgins said, via Ben Baby of ESPN.com. “You know he makes those from that deep. I don’t blame him at all, you know what I’m saying. So it’s a team effort, we lost as a team, but we could have done a better job of putting him in better range of goal to make the kick easier.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said the team remained conservative because they were in McPherson’s range and didn’t want to risk a penalty or negative play that would push them back. The bad upset made that approach look bad and the 1-4 Bengals didn’t have much margin for error in their attempt to reach the postseason.
