Zac Taylor on Bengals' Loss to Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals On SI

11/8/2024

Transcript

00:00What was the thought process on the two-point conversion?

00:04Came here to win.

00:05Came here to win.

00:06Why do you think that one fell so quickly?

00:11You know, we lost tournament battle 1-0.

00:13I think it was 1-7 at that point when we gave them seven points there right there on the

00:18fumble.

00:19Had the big play, and then it kind of went back and forth from there.

00:22It was a good football team, but we expected to come in here and win, and we did everything

00:27we could to do that.

00:28It doesn't change the fact that I'm proud.

00:29I think everybody on that field fought, gave us a chance.

00:32Lost the game on the road to a good team, and it's sickening that this has happened

00:35twice to us.

00:37That's what it is.

00:39The Chase-Brown fumble, Zach.

00:41How did that change things?

00:43Well, every time you play them, man, it's a one-score game, and whoever wins the tournament

00:46battle wins the game, and that's what it came down to.

00:49You put so much emphasis on bringing in guys who win big moments.

00:53Why hasn't this team seemed to have that quality?

00:56Yeah, we got to figure that out.

00:57We got to find a way to close out these games.

00:59We had our opportunity.

01:00We got down there, went for two, and it just didn't work out for us.

01:04But this team is going to continue to put us in good positions, and there's going to

01:07be a point in the season where that turns, and we'll respond the right way from this

01:11game.

01:12We've got a one-game season next week against the Chargers before the bye, and so we'll

01:15get our bodies right and get ready to go fight them.

01:17When a team doesn't finish, is that X's and O's?

01:20I mean, finishing, there's a lot of great plays by both teams there at the end of the

01:24game.

01:25I know that's the easy answer, but we've just got to figure out a way to make that

01:30last play to win the game.

01:31Yeah, the third and two, fourth and two, they were both deep balls down there in the second

01:36half.

01:37Was that…

01:38It's just part of the play.

01:39Was that expecting aggressiveness?

01:40Those are progressions, and if you get a one-on-one shot, we're taking that all the time.

01:43Otherwise, there's a progression that comes across, but we've made a lot of plays in

01:48those situations where we take those shots.

01:50Just because it's third and two or fourth and two, they're dropping everybody underneath

01:53trying to take away the underneath stuff, so you either take your shot or you wait for

01:56other stuff to clear out over the top.

01:58How hard was it to watch the touch-up?

02:02The Ravens' three missed tackles came.

02:04Yeah, it's tough.

02:06That one, I can't see very well.

02:08That's on the farthest point of the field that I can see, so we'll watch the tape and

02:11evaluate how that play went.

02:13You did a good job defensively against them in the first half, though.

02:15They had the four-streak touchdown.

02:17What do you think changed for you?

02:18Well, the turnover gave them a great field position because we got a three and out there

02:21to start the half, so I was really pleased with how the defense started the half.

02:24Then, obviously, that big play on third and two for however many yards that was put them

02:29right back in.

02:30That gave them some hope, and they responded the right way.

02:33Then it just became a back-and-forth game from there.

02:35How would you describe the game that Chase had?

02:37Incredible.

02:39That's a good defense.

02:41They've got a ton of talent over there.

02:43I thought Jamar stepped up in a major way.

02:46Any time we could just find ways to get him the ball, I thought Joe did a great job.

02:50I thought Joe did a great job of that, and Jamar finished a lot of those plays for us.

02:53I thought they played excellent.

02:55How frustrating is it that, despite their performances, it just wasn't enough tonight?

02:58It's frustrating because of the work we put in.

03:00We sit up here every week and pour our heart and souls into this thing.

03:04We've got a good football team, and our record doesn't yet show that.

03:08There's still time.

03:09This team's going to hang in there.

03:10We're going to be there at the end.

03:13Again, this is a tough one because you're right there, and you felt like you let one

03:16slip away.

03:17At the same time, still believe in these guys.

03:18They believe in each other.

03:20There's a lot of football left to play.

03:21Zach, the two-pointers, how did they play it, and how did you expect that?

03:26I think you called timeout, right?

03:30We were just trying to get a free yard there.

03:32It was a no-snap, no-play situation, trying to get a really free play.

03:36If they jump, snap it, and just get a free shot on the two-pointer version.

03:39That was the situation to do that.

03:41Called timeout, and then got the play we liked, and it just didn't work out for us.

03:44Was it there?

03:45I've got to watch it.

03:46I've got to watch it.

03:47It's hard for me to tell right now.

03:48Because of the game, he had probably a lot of questions about why the ball, and maybe

03:52it was supposed to go to Chase.

03:54You guys were trying to go for the win.

03:56Did it take him away, or what happened?

03:58No, there's always a progression to it.

04:02Most of our stuff is geared to go to Jamar Chase.

04:07But again, progression starts, and he was in that progression.

04:11I'd say Joe makes pretty good decisions.

04:14I trust we weren't there.

04:15We just got to watch the tape and see what happened.

04:17You had a couple different chances to go to Evan with long field goals.

04:20What was his number that you were looking at, and why would you-

04:23That direction was less.

04:25I think we passed up a 58-yarder when our defense had given up seven points at that

04:29point in the game.

04:31We pinned him down there on the 10.

04:32Obviously, it didn't work out.

04:34They scored three plays later.

04:35But that was that decision.

04:36That was an aggressive game for us.

04:39Going for it.

04:41That was right there.

04:43Given how the game unfolded with how our defense was playing at that moment,

04:46the 58-yarder, just pin him down in there and try to get that ball back,

04:49same field position, and punch it in on offense.

04:5156 pass attempts for Joe tonight.

04:54Did you come into this game kind of figuring it might be that kind of game?

04:58Yeah, it's hard to know how many snaps you're going to get.

05:00But, yeah, I knew it was going to be that type of game.

05:02Hit the pit 13 times, just how he stood in there tonight,

05:05428 through the air.

05:07It's a really talented defense.

05:09Again, when you throw the ball that many times, it's going to happen.

05:12He does a great job buying time until the end to give his guys a chance.

05:17So often, probably some of those hits came on huge completions

05:20because he waited that last second and was willing to take the hit.

05:23So it's going to, unfortunately, reflect negatively on the offensive line

05:27when in reality it's just Joe hanging in there

05:29and making a play of his tight coverage

05:30and giving Jamar and those guys a chance for that extra second to win.

05:33Did you know throughout that final draft that you would go for two?

05:35Yeah.

05:36I mean, there is a time situation where there's probably a little too many.

05:41I can't get into specifics, but there's a chance maybe you get a three

05:45and I get the ball back if you just tied it

05:47and you go kick a game winning field goal.

05:48But didn't feel like we were going to get the ball again.

05:51You said you guys need to figure out why you haven't been able to close out games.

05:55But what more can you do 10 games into the season to try and figure that out?

05:58Just got to find a way to win.

Zac Taylor on Bengals' Loss to Ravens

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