In the aftermath of their team's Super Bowl defeat, it's been refreshing to see Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor and quarterback Joe Burrow steer clear of pitfalls.
We've heard no misguided complaints from them.
We've heard acknowledgment of inconvenient truths.
Showing smart leadership, neither man echoed the "we wuz robbed" complaints of some Bengals fans and media who blamed the 23-20 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams on the choppy officiating.
So even if it's a small step, Taylor and Burrow have moved the Bengals in the right direction.
Without being phony about it, each man took some blame for the Bengals not seizing a game that was, upon further review, very winnable.
Start with Taylor.
The third-year head coach, 38, answered reporters' questions Wednesday after it was announced owner Mike Brown had extended his contract through 2026.
Taylor said it was his decision to have a backup running back — Samaje Perine — attempt the failed third-and-1 run on Cincinnati's final drive. Taylor revealed running backs coach Justin Hill asked him before the play whether to deploy starter Joe Mixon, a more powerful runner, and Taylor opted for Perine because of his pass blocking in the team's two-minute offense.
The Rams stopped Perine short, fueling L.A.'s defensive stand that clinched the victory.
Taylor elaborated: "There's other things I certainly could have done over the course of the game that would have put us in a better position and unfortunately didn't get it done."
That's leadership.
Burrow could've moaned about his offensive line's poor showing and induced nods from the whole football world.
The dominance of L.A.'s defensive front, for sure, played a much larger role in the game's outcome than any miscues by Burrow.
But Burrow understood that, apart from the many plays in which his blockers faltered, he left some food on the table.
Super Bowl 56 wasn't his best work. No shame there. The Rams defense got the better of Kyler Murray, Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo in the NFC playoffs. But, even against a Titans defense that sacked him nine times in the divisional round, Burrow was sharper than he was Sunday.
"I'm disappointed in my performance overall," said Burrow, 25. "I thought I could have played better, give us a better chance to win — but you live and learn."
The Bengals struggled as a whole. Notable exceptions were their run defense and star receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
With a budget-friendly, stellar nucleus — headed by Burrow, 25; Chase, 21; receiver Tee Higgins, 23; Mixon, 25; and linebacker Logan Wilson, 25 — the Bengals should challenge for playoff berths in the next few years.
But, even if they navigated the tall odds every contender faces, they can't expect another Super Bowl shower of gifts to the extent they received in a middle segment of Super Bowl 56.
Consider the four-event windfall that fell their way in a span of 15 football minutes: place-holder Johnny Hekker bungled a perfect snap, costing L.A. one point; Odell Beckham Jr., untouched, blew out a knee, removing a Rams receiver who'd scored the game's first TD and set up L.A's second TD with a 35-yard gain; a blatant offensive pass interference infraction went unflagged, enabling Higgins' 75-yard TD reception that put the Bengals ahead 17-13; one snap later, a pass skimmed off the hands of OBJ's rookie replacement (summoned in part because No. 2 receiver Robert Woods was inactive).
"The ball just found me," said Chidobe Awuzie, who grabbed that carom for an interception.
The Bengals turned that short field into three points. Their lead was 20-13.
But it was the Rams who made the best plays down the stretch, earning the victory.
Yes, the Bengals were unlucky on other officiating calls and non-calls. But none directly produced seven points.
Taylor, speaking for the whole team, pointed a finger — inward. "Everyone feels like, 'Man, if I would have just done this differently, we would have won,' " he said Wednesday.
What the Bengals will need to figure out is not only how win a Super Bowl, but how to win a close Super Bowl. Of the NFL franchises without a Super Bowl victory, they're the only one with three Super Bowl defeats by five points or fewer.
Cincinnati's best qualitative performance of the three came in 1989 — the 20-16 loss in Super Bowl 23 to a 49ers team favored by six points.
The Bengals' first Super Bowl team, appearing jittery, erred often in falling behind the Niners 20-0 before taking a 26-21 defeat in 1982. "The Bengals, collectively, had better personnel than we had," 49ers Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh told Super Bowl historian Bob McGinn.
Taylor's team made fewer mistakes than the first "super" Bengals. But no Super Bowl defeat is easily digested. "It makes you want to get back there even more than you ever thought," said Taylor.
Understanding what went wrong is part of it. If the Bengals fix their offensive line, it'll be the biggest lesson learned. But not the only one.
