Right in the middle of the celebration at the end of the AFC Championship Game, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was looking for running back Joe Mixon.
On the field during the trophy ceremony, Taylor looked Mixon and told him, “You stayed patient.”
He was specifically referring to how Mixon bounced back from a few negative runs early in the game to run for some game-winning first downs. But the idea of staying patient represents Mixon’s entire career.
During the last two seasons, Mixon has navigated injuries and an evolving role in a rapidly changing offense.