Bengals awards from Super Bowl LVI

There were many sound performances in the Bengals’ heartbreaking Super Bowl loss. Cast your vote and sound off on your winners!

It was quite a contest, but the Cincinnati Bengals came up just short of pulling out a win in Super Bowl LVI. One yard and three points, to be exact.

Regardless, there were a lot of great moments and individual performances from Bengals players in this one. Cast your vote and sound off on your winners!

Most Valuable Player

Joe Burrow:

The Bengals’ signal-caller fought through seven sacks and 11 hits to deliver a solid performance. He had 263 passing yards, a touchdown and a 101 quarterback rating.

Tee Higgins:

If the Bengals won the Super Bowl, No. 85 would have been on the short list of MVP candidates, for sure. He had four receptions for 100 yards and the team’s only two touchdowns.

Ja’Marr Chase:

If Higgins had more production, Chase had the highlight reel play of Super Bowl LVI. His one-handed grab in the first half was a beauty that led to a field goal and he finished with five total catches for 89 yards. He also had a four-yard carry.

Evan McPherson:

The rookie kicker continued his insane streak during the postseason, hitting two field goals and two extra points. He was absolutely perfect on all 14 playoff attempts.

Logan Wilson:

Questionable holding call at the end of the game aside, Wilson balled out on Sunday. He finished with nine total tackles, including three for loss. Wilson also had a pass defended.

D.J. Reader:

Don’t let the one tackle on the stat sheet fool you. It was a sack of Matthew Stafford, and he had three other quarterback sack. Reader was also a big part of forcing the Rams to just 43 rushing yards and a 1.9-yard average on the ground.

Unsung Hero of the Week

Joe Mixon:

The star running back quietly had a solid day on the ground. He churned out 72 rushing yards on 15 carries for a 4.8-yard average.

Tyler Boyd:

While Higgins and Chase shined, Boyd also made plays when called upon. He had five catches on six targets for 48 yards, with two of the grabs going for first downs.

Trent Taylor:

Though he only had two punt returns on the day, they were contributions to be noticed. He had two punt returns for 28 yards, including a 20-yard scamper. The big return led to Cincinnati’s first points in the game.

Sam Hubbard:

The veteran defensive end once again played his tail off in this one. He had eight total tackles, with two for loss, along with an additional quarterback hit.

Chidobe Awuzie:

It was a tough task for the Bengals’ secondary this Sunday, but they rose to the occasion often. Awuzie came up with a huge interception to give the Bengals another three points right after a touchdown to open the second half. He also had five tackles.

Jessie Bates III:

The veteran safety saved his best performances for the postseason. Bates really rose his level of play the final four games, while notching an interception and six tackles in the Super Bowl.

Play of the Game

Ja’Marr Chase’s 46-yard reception:

The Bengals were down early and needed a big play from their star rookie receiver. Burrow floated a beauty down the sideline and Chase made a one-handed, tumbling catch. It led to a field goal.

Tee Higgins’ touchdown reception from Joe Mixon:

This had to be a fun one for the team to practice all week out in Los Angeles. Burrow pitched the ball to Mixon who ran right and then floated a beauty to the corner of the end zone to Higgins. It cut the Rams’ lead to 13-10.

Tee Higgins’ 75-yard touchdown reception:

The Bengals came out firing in the second half, with Burrow throwing deep to Higgins down the left sideline. Higgins beat Ramsey for the ball and cruised to the end zone, giving the Bengals a 17-13 lead.

Chidobe Awuzie’s third quarter interception:

The free agent acquisition capped off a solid season with one of the biggest plays in the largest of contests. Right after the Higgins score, Awuzie was Johnny-on-the-spot off a bobbled pass and picked it off. The play led to a subsequent field goal.