Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was not happy with the NFL officials for how the game was managed after Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett set the single-season sack record.
Garrett brought down Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on first down at midfield with just over five minutes remaining, securing his record-setting 23rd sack. Teammates poured onto the field to celebrate, some racing in from the sideline to crown the NFL’s new sack king. Play briefly stopped to mark the moment, but the Bengals still had work to do as they tried to mount a potential go-ahead drive.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor was upset that he wasn’t told the game would stop for Garrett’s record-setting feat.
“I was never informed of that,“ Taylor said. ”They didn’t say one word. We meet with them in the 90-minute meeting before the game. They never said one word about that.”
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With nothing at stake but pride between two AFC North rivals, the stoppage still loomed large for Cincinnati. Taylor was frustrated, saying the unexpected pause disrupted his offense during a critical late-game drive.
“There’s five minutes left in our season. We’re playing for our lives here. And I was never told that we’re going to stop the game, and in a critical moment like that. And the refs just said that they made a decision that they were going to stop the game,” Taylor said. “And they said they tried to do it as quickly as possible. I didn’t feel that. We didn’t sub. We’re trying to be on the ball and go and play with tempo. And the umpire just held the ball so that we couldn’t do anything.”
The Bengals were forced to punt on that possession but answered on their next drive, taking an 18-17 lead. Cleveland responded in the closing moments, drilling a field goal as time expired to seal the win.
“They just said that they made a decision as a crew to stop the game when that happened. I guess it didn’t matter when it happened,” Taylor said. “They were going to stop the game and let it happen.”
Burrow was less surprised than his head coach.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Burrow said. “That’s typically how they handle those kinds of situations.”
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The Bengals were able to prevent Garrett from getting to Burrow for most of the afternoon, utilizing quick passes, multiple blockers and a solid game plan. But Garrett was finally able to break through in the fourth quarter, getting a massive jump at the line of scrimmage.
“It was everything I expected,” Garrett said. “It was so tough. I knew they were going to make it difficult, but (expletive), I don’t think I saw more than three singles on a real dropback the whole game. I just knew that if I did, I’d have to make that moment count. The feeling couldn’t be better.”
Myles Garrett is all but a lock to win Defensive Player of the Year, which would mark the second time he’s taken home the award. But even with another historic season from their superstar pass rusher, the Browns enter the offseason surrounded by uncertainty after a 5-12 finish.
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