3 people most to blame for Bengals losing Super Bowl 56 to Rams

The Cincinnati Bengals will need to reevaluate what happened in the final minutes of their Super Bowl 56 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

The clock struck midnight on this year’s cinderella, as the Cincinnati Bengals fell to the Los Angeles Rams in the final minutes of Super Bowl 56, 23-20.

Cincinnati clawed and scratched its way for as long as it could going up against a more talented Rams team. While Los Angeles allowed the Bengals to hang around until the final minute of the game, there were people who did not get the job done in the final minutes to give Cincinnati its first Super Bowl championship. The Rams were a great team, but the Bengals blew it in the end.

Here are the three people most to blame for the Bengals dropping Super Bowl 56 to the Rams.

Cincinnati Bengals: 3 people most to blame for Super Bowl 56 loss

3. The secondary was far too handsy in the critical series of the game

It is hard to really shred to pieces what Lou Anarumo’s defense did in this game. Again, they played very well throughout most of it, but they collapsed on their final defensive possession. A holding penalty on linebacker Logan Wilson on a crucial third-and-goal was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It became flag city shortly afterward. Then, it was game over for the feisty Bengals when Cooper Kupp caught the game-winning touchdown over Eli Apple.

2. The Bengals offensive line has to be better if they want to get back next year

This was the biggest reason why the Bengals lost Super Bowl 56. While the offensive line held up decently, it was an undermanned unit all year long. After giving up nine sacks and beating the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, they allowed Joe Burrow to be taken to the turf seven times in this game. He was under duress all night and the game ended on a sack by Aaron Donald. Had Burrow have been in a cleaner pocket, the Bengals may have got the win.

1. Zac Taylor needed a better series of offensive play calls down the stretch

The blame falls on the head coach. Zac Taylor needed to step up in the final minutes and did not do so. While this is only his third season as an NFL head coach, he was outclassed by Sean McVay when it counted. Though he will learn from this, that third-down play call at midfield in the final minute will be something that will keep him and the rest of Who Dey Nation up at night for weeks.

The Bengals played great for close to 55 minutes, but the final five were what ruined their season.