CINCINNATI- Have the Bengals lost confidence in Evan McPherson?

The Bengals had the ball at the Ravens 34-yard line with a 21-14 lead with one play remaining in the third quarter. Burrow was sacked, which pushed them back to the 40-yard line.

Burrow was pressured on 2nd and 16 and threw a miss. Instead of gaining a few yards on third down, the Bengals went for first down and were forced to punt after Burrow was unable to connect with Ja’Marr Chase due to the timing around him.

The Bengals could have picked up five, eight yards, anything — and then McPherson would have had a chance to make it 10 points. Instead, they threw from the Ravens’ 40-yard line.

The next possession was just as bad. The Bengals had the ball at the Ravens 34 yard line on 3rd and 2. Another pass to Chase fell incomplete. Taylor decided to go for it on 4th and 2, instead of letting McPherson kick a 51-yard field goal to potentially extend the Bengals’ lead to 24-20.

“We were in field goal range and we wanted to go up eight. We didn’t want to go up four,” Taylor said. “I was confident we would make the field goal, but at the same time, it was the kind of game where you just felt like you needed a max lead.”

The Bengals did not convert on fourth down and the Ravens took the lead on their next possession.

Where is Taylor’s confidence in McPherson right now?

“High. High,” Taylor said. “I know it hasn’t been exactly the type of season the whole operation envisioned. But there’s no question, I didn’t doubt for a second that we would make the field goal. I don’t I didn’t want three points there, I wanted seven points.

McPherson has made 13 of 17 field goal attempts this season and 29 of 30 extra point attempts. He is 3 of 6 from 50-plus yards, which includes the catch in overtime against the Ravens in Week 5.

Taylor’s confidence in McPherson appears to have waned. His in-game decisions will be something to watch in the future, especially with a must-win game looming on Sunday against the Chargers.

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