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Cincinnati Bengals: What to watch for during Super Bowl 53

By Kenn Korb

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 20: General Manager, Les Snead, head coach Sean McVay and Jared Goff #16 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts after defeating the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 20, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Los Angeles Rams defeated the New Orleans Saints with a score of 26 to 23. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 20: General Manager, Les Snead, head coach Sean McVay and Jared Goff #16 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts after defeating the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 20, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Los Angeles Rams defeated the New Orleans Saints with a score of 26 to 23. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 20: Jared Goff #16 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts after a play against the New Orleans Saints during the second quarter in the NFC Championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 20, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 20: Jared Goff #16 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts after a play against the New Orleans Saints during the second quarter in the NFC Championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 20, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Watch Goff (Especially After A Mistake)

Seeing as Taylor is just the quarterbacks coach for the Rams, he’s unlikely to do much of anything that we see on camera which has a tangible effect on the game.

Much of his impact comes from the days before and after the game, the times of preparation and analysis. That stuff is as important in the grand scheme of building a team as just about any decision made in a single contest. It doesn’t allow for an easy path of evaluating those who we don’t see making in-game decisions, however.

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One way we could actually see some semblance of Taylor’s impact, though, is by watching Jared Goff on Sunday. As his quarterbacks coach, Taylor should be directly interacting with Goff whenever he’s not on the field of play, doing everything from going over that drive’s plays to giving him encouragement and/or critiques as needed.

Even with how great the Rams have been on offense all year, it’s unlikely they won’t have some mistakes here and there against a veteran defense like New England’s. Paying attention to how Goff responds when those errors occur could give insight not only into him as a player, but just how effective someone like Taylor is as a coach and communicator.

Does his quarterback go into a funk after a couple errant throws? If he does, how does his coach respond — and does he get him out of it in time to change the course of the game?

This may appear to be small stuff, but the relationship between coach and quarterback makes a big difference, and Taylor’s interactions with Goff could point to how he will or won’t get along with Andy Dalton (or whoever ends up under center for the Bengals in the coming years).

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