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Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals unhappy over Evan McPherson watching Super Bowl halftime show

Rather than spend his halftime in the locker room, McPherson was seen on the sidelines enjoying the halftime show

By Nick Geddes OutKick
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Without the right leg of rookie kicker Evan McPherson, the Bengals likely don’t appear in their first Super Bowl in 32 years.

Look no further than McPherson’s game-winning 52-yard field goal to defeat the Titans in the AFC Divisional round and his 31-yarder to defeat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship. But for Cincinnati and special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons, one decision from McPherson during the Super Bowl has left the organization unhappy.

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During the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show featuring Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent, McPherson apparently wanted to take it all in. Rather than spend his halftime in the locker room, McPherson was seen on the sidelines enjoying the show.

"That’s a sore subject," Simmons said,via Jay Morrison of The Athletic. "That’s a real sore subject."

Simmons continued, giving an honest critique of McPherson.

Kicker Evan McPherson #2 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates with holder Kevin Huber #10 after hitting the game winning field goal in overtime against the Kansas City Chiefs to win the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 30, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kicker Evan McPherson #2 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates with holder Kevin Huber #10 after hitting the game winning field goal in overtime against the Kansas City Chiefs to win the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 30, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)

"He needs to become a better practice kicker and kick better than he has," Simmons said. "Not that it’s poor, but I think for him to be elite and go over the top, he’s got to kick better in practice and learn new things."

A fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Florida, McPherson nailed 28-of-33 field goals and 46-of-48 extra points this past season. In four games during the playoffs, McPherson was perfect, going 14-of-14 on field goals and 6-of-6 on extra points.

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Building off a successful rookie season will be paramount, as well as improving his 60.4% touchback rate on kickoffs. That number put McPherson in the middle of the pack across the league, a number that Simmons would like to see skyrocket.

Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (2) boots a winning 20-yard field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (2) boots a winning 20-yard field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

"One of my major things this offseason is I’ve got to get his field goal leg to equate to what he does on kickoffs," Simmons said. "He has a very, very powerful field goal leg. It’s not that he doesn’t have a powerful kickoff leg, but we’ve got to get that power transferred into kickoffs more consistently than we did this year."