In his second season with the Cincinnati Bengals after signing with the team prior to the 2020 campaign, former Clemson defensive lineman D.J. Reader played an important role in helping the Bengals make their unlikely run to the Super Bowl coming off a 4-11-1 season in 2020 and 2-14 season in 2019.
However, while the Bengals defied odds in getting to the big game, they fell just short of their ultimate goal of winning the NFL championship, losing 23-20 to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
“We had a good season, but we weren’t able to end it with a championship,” Reader said to the media after the game. “I think all the guys feel that way. That’s the mood in our locker room. What I saw in our locker room, all the guys feel that way. So, I think we had a successful season. Yeah, there’s definitely things we can build off of, but we always want it to end with a championship.”
For Reader and the Bengals, the loss to the Rams will serve as added motivation to get back to the Super Bowl and try to achieve the goal they weren’t quite able to accomplish this season.
“We don’t celebrate moral victories, but we’re glad we’re out here,” Reader said. “There’s a bunch of guys on this team that’s won championships and want to win. So, I think this just gives us fuel to go back next year and get back to the drawing board. The team will be different, guys will be different, but it will be the same goal.”
Watch Reader discuss the Super Bowl loss, a “generational” player in Joe Burrow, and more in the following video:
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