Bengals Coach Criticizes Game Stoppage After Garrett’s Record Win
After the Bengals’ narrow 20-18 defeat to the Browns, head coach Zac Taylor expressed frustration over officials pausing the game for about 30 seconds. This interruption occurred when Myles Garrett set a new NFL sack record, marking his 23rd sack of the season, late in the fourth quarter.
As the players celebrated Garrett’s achievement along the sidelines, Taylor seemed to direct blame towards the officials for not penalizing the Browns. He later mentioned to reporters that he hadn’t been made aware of this pause in the game to commemorate the record. This all happened with just over five minutes remaining in the contest.
“There’s five minutes left in the season, and we’re fighting for our lives. At such a crucial moment, it was never communicated that the game would stop,” Taylor stated. “The referee made the call to halt play, and they claimed they tried to resume as quickly as they could. I didn’t feel that way. We were ready to play fast, but the referee just held the ball.”
In that moment, Taylor was urging quarterback Joe Burrow to hurry up and get the play started, emphasizing that they hadn’t substituted players. But, he felt unable to proceed due to the referee’s actions. “Trying to get answers wasn’t easy,” he added.
The Bengals ended up having to punt just three plays later after Garrett’s record-breaking sack. Taylor suggested that it seemed the referees had premeditated plans to pause for such monumental moments in the game. “They indicated as a staff they had decided to stop the game anytime something significant occurred,” he explained. “It didn’t seem to matter when; they were going to let it happen.”
It wasn’t just Taylor who voiced displeasure; star receiver Ja’Marr Chase shared his thoughts as well. “I didn’t think they could do that. It’s surprising that we couldn’t get the whole team on the field, while they get a celebration,” Chase remarked. “Congrats to him, but, I mean, how is it that they didn’t throw a flag on that? We couldn’t even rush. The officials looked at us as if we were in the wrong.”
In the greater context, besides the record, this game held little significance for both teams, as they had already been eliminated from playoff contention prior to the matchup. Looking ahead, the Bengals have a series of questions to address this offseason after what has been a disappointing year for the team.
