CINCINNATI — Shortly after the Cincinnati Bengals won another playoff game, coach Zac Taylor continued one of the city’s new and favorite traditions.
Taylor dropped off a game ball to a local establishment in the city, a tradition after postseason wins that he started last year. After Cincinnati beat the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC wild-card round of the playoffs, Taylor went to The Blind Pig, commandeered the microphone at the DJ booth and saluted the team’s supporters.
“Another playoff win, the first of many,” Taylor told the raucous crowd at the bar and restaurant located near Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium.
The commemorative ball Taylor dropped off was one of six that went out across Greater Cincinnati. Bengals safety Vonn Bell gifted a ball to Crowley’s Irish Pub in the Mt. Adams section of Cincinnati.
Zac Taylor…a man of the people.
After every playoff win, he delivers game balls to Bengals bars to thank them for their support. pic.twitter.com/sPvvp5AKf8
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 16, 2023
Bengals coach Zac Taylor’s tradition of delivering game balls around Cincinnati after playoff wins continues. Here is at the Blind Pig, which is right across the street from the team’s facility/stadium. pic.twitter.com/ITBVSg08Fz
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) January 16, 2023
Before last season, Cincinnati hadn’t enjoyed playoff success in decades. After the Bengals beat the Las Vegas Raiders in the wild-card round, Taylor started the tradition to thank local fans for their support. He was spotted going into Mt. Lookout Tavern, where he gave a game ball and issued a speech following the team’s first playoff win in 31 years.
Taylor continued the tradition this year after the team’s victory over Baltimore, which also marked playoff wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history.
“That tradition is never going to die,” Taylor said after the game.
