Somewhat lost in the chaos of the win for the Cincinnati Bengals last weekend over the New England Patriots were the struggles of kicker Evan McPherson.
McPherson has appeared to struggle a little more this year than he did last season as a rookie. But that game in Foxboro was especially problematic, as he missed a field goal and an extra point.
But Bengals head coach Zac Taylor attributed the issues to the cold and that they’re actually a good thing because McPherson can now better prep for those circumstances.
Here’s what he told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:
“ZT: Obviously we didn’t make those kicks but if you take the rest of special teams, I thought they played really well. They handled field position for us really well. They did a great job getting the most out of most of those units. And it’s a good learning experience for Evan. Playing in that cold weather and taking the approach that’s necessary to be successful in that environment so I think that’s something he’s going to file away and be better for the next time.”
Good points, plus the Patriots had some miscues on special teams during that game as well.
Speaking of special teams, Taylor also praised Chrisman, who has come along nicely after needing to take over for veteran Kevin Huber. He had a key coffin-corner punt in crunch time that pinned the Patriots deep.
In all, not a terrible outlook for Bengals special teams with January football on the way again.
