How did the former Bengals do in Super Bowl 52?

You may have noticed how leading up to the Super Bowl, we talked about how each team had a few players that use to wear Bengals stripes at some point during their career. Now that the game is over, we can look back and see just how each of them did.

Running back, Rex Burkhead

Burkhead joined the Patriots as a free agent this offseason after never really getting a fair shot to play in Cincinnati during his career. He provided a much needed spark for the Patriots offense in the first half. He had a 46-yard reception that helped set up the Patriots’ offense from letting the game get out of hand early. He also carried the ball three times for 18 yards with nine of those coming on one carry. Most of those carries came during the fourth quarter.

Most of the game, it was obvious that the Patriots favored James White and Dion Lewis. Both players got double the touches of Burkhead. It must have been a little disappointing seeing so little action, but I’m sure he’d trade all of his opportunities for a chance to play in the big game.

Linebacker, Marquis Flowers

Flowers was traded to the Patriots this offseason after it was apparent that he was going to be cut. The Patriots didn’t want to lose out on an opportunity to get him, and he did play a major role in the outcome of the game, although not all of it was good.

In the second, half Flowers was beat by Corey Clement for a 22 yard touchdown pass. There was some controversy over whether or not Clement possessed the ball with two feet in bounds, but the refs confirmed the call on the field. Flowers was tasked with having to cover one of the Eagles’ biggest mismatches, and in that instance, he failed. That play capped off an 85-yard drive early in the third quarter.

The only other play Flowers was involved in was actually a huge third-down stop. To start off the fourth quarter Flowers had an amazing open field tackle against Nelson Agholor on a misdirection play. This forced the Eagles to kick a field goal. This allowed the Patriots to take the lead on their next drive.

Kicker, Jake Elliott

Elliott has been a hard pill for Bengals’ fans to swallow. The team spent a fifth-round pick on Elliott in this past draft only to place him on the practice squad. This allowed the Eagles to scoop him up when their kicker went down with an injury. It hasn’t always been great for Elliott this season, and that remained true in the Super Bowl.

Elliott started off the game by hitting his first field goal, but the following possession, he missed the extra point after the Eagles scored the first touchdown of the game. This probably could’ve destroyed the confidence of a lot of kickers in that situation, but to his credit Elliott didn’t miss another kick the rest of the game.

He finished the game with three field goals, and his longest was a 46-yarder that put the Eagles up eight points with around a minute left on the clock.