The Bengals suffered yet another late-game defeat on Sunday night, falling to the Chargers 34-27 after mounting a 21-point comeback to tie the game in the second half.
But the Bengals had multiple chances to take the lead in the fourth quarter, specifically with a pair of field-goal attempts by kicker Evan McPherson.
McPherson first missed a 48-yard attempt wide left with 7:35 remaining in the fourth quarter. Then he missed a 51-yard try wide left with 1:52 on the clock.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said in his postgame press conference that he still has confidence in McPherson — who signed a three-year, $16.5 million contract extension with the club in August. But McPherson is now in the middle of his worst season, having converted just 71.4 percent of his field goals in 2024.
“It just wasn’t his day today,” Taylor said.
While he made field goals of 26 and 27 yards in the first half on Sunday, McPherson has missed two attempts from 40-49 yards and four from 50-plus this year.
Asked what he’d say to McPherson after the kicker missed the two potential go-ahead field goals, quarterback Joe Burrow paused, shook his head, and said, “Nothing.”
Burrow later added that he was confident McPherson would make his 51-yard attempt after having missed from 48.
Receiver Ja’Marr Chase also noted he didn’t say anything to McPherson.
“But he knows to make those kicks,” Chase said. “That’s why we paid him those bucks — to make those kicks in crunch time.”
“Everybody has those games,” Tee Higgins said, noting he once had one with four or five drops. “Guys were encouraging me to stay on top of it. That’s what I’m going to do with Evan. … The guy that he is and all the big games that he’s won us, all I can do is just be a good teammate and encourage him, tell him to look past it. The game is over. Let’s look forward to the Steelers.”
After a Week 12 bye, Cincinnati will face Pittsburgh at home on Dec. 1.
