Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Mixon, Zac Taylor harbor no consternation about ending of Super Bowl LVI

CINCINNATI — Any consternation about how Super Bowl LVI ended is water under the bridge for Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon and coach Zac Taylor.

Mixon, who was not on the field for the team's final offensive drive in the 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, including a third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 situation, told reporters on Friday that he should have pushed harder to get on the field.

On Saturday, Taylor said he's discussed the issue with Mixon and has no qualms about how Mixon expressed himself about the situation.

«You absolutely should feel passionate about that situation,» Taylor said. «He's handled it outstanding[ly]. That's much appreciated. He knows that. It's one of the reasons you want to get back to those moments, you know?»

With the team running its two-minute offense and the Bengals in need of points to extend or win the Super Bowl, Cincinnati opted for back-up Samaje Perine. On Cincinnati's final drive, he was stopped for no gain and was the target of a hurried and haphazard pass attempt on the final fourth-and-1 that sealed the Rams' victory.

On Friday, after declining to speak with the media throughout OTAs and during the first two days of training camp, Mixon suggested that he should have essentially checked himself into the game during that final drive.

«It was just a caught up in a moment thing,» Mixon said during an impromptu press conference following Friday's practice, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. «I really should have taken initiative on myself and just been like, 'Hey, I'm coming in.' But you know, it was the heat of the moment.»

Mixon told reporters that he had primarily worked with the team's two-minute offense during the postseason. But in the final two minutes of all 2022