Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bengals coach Zac Taylor delivers game ball to fans at a bar

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 1/17/22

Bengals fans have waited a very long time to see their favorite team win a playoff game. And coach Zac Taylor chose a personal way of thanking them -- by giving fans at a local bar a game ball after Cincinnati defeated the Las Vegas Raiders in Saturday's Wild Card game.

Just watch and smile https://t.co/O6u6LKzhbz pic.twitter.com/lT5ODIAZwn
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"This is the first of many playoff games we win here," Taylor said in the video.

According to ESPN, Taylor decided to make the gesture long before Saturday's victory. The chosen venue, Mt. Lookout Tavern, is on the 38-year-old coach's drive to the stadium and a regular hangout for faithful football fans. Once Cincinnati had punched their ticket into the divisional round, he knew it was the perfect place to show fans how much the team appreciated them.

"We give out game balls probably as many as any team in the NFL," Taylor said after the fact. "[I] just thought it was a great opportunity for them to share in the moment."

Many, many more fans shared in the moment on Saturday as Paul Brown Stadium recorded its biggest crowd ever on Saturday with 66,277 tickets sold.

Listen to how LOUD it is in Cincy ️@Sam_Hubbard_ | #RuleTheJungle

: #LVvsCIN on NBC
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