Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Mixon mocks NFL's postseason decision in touchdown celebration
After the tragic outcome of the Damar Hamlin injury this past Monday, the Cincinnati Bengals found themselves in an odd position with the NFL’s postseason picture. Because the Bills-Bengals game was not finished, homefield advantage in the wild card round will be decided by a coin toss if the Bengals lose to the Baltimore Ravens.
Of course, the Bengals entered the game as a heavy favorite, so any thoughts of a possible loss were few and far between. But that did not stop the Bengals from expressing their frustrations over the decision, not only early in the week, but during Sunday’s game.
In the first quarter, Joe Mixon took a handoff one yard into the end zone for a touchdown to go up 10-0 early on the Ravens. After the score, Mixon removed a coin from his glove and did a coin flip to mock the decision. You can see the celebration below.
The Bengals-Bills game was put on pause after Hamlin collapsed on the field and went into cardiac arrest. A few days after, the league announced that the game would not be made up, resulting in this decision to possibly need a coin toss to decide homefield advantage. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor explained his frustrations with the decision on Friday.
“What’s in front of us is to win this weekend,” Taylor said, according to USA Today. “And reclaim an opportunity to have a homefield wild card game. That’s the task in front of the team. As far as I’m concerned, we just want the rules to be followed. When a game is canceled, you just turn to winning percentage to clarify everything so we don’t have to make up rules.
“There’s several instances this season when a club is fined or people in our building are fined and we’re being told, ‘Follow the rules. It’s black and white. It’s in the rulebook.’ So now when we point out the rules and you’re told, we’re going to change that, I don’t want to hear about fair and equitable when that’s the case. So, what this team will do is all we can control is going to play in the game this weekend and do our best to win and that’s what this team will channel that energy into that.”
As things stand right now, a coin toss does not look like it will be necessary, largely thanks to Mixon. Cincinnati currently leads Baltimore, 17-0 in the second quarter.