Vonn Bell's taunting penalty extends San Francisco 49ers' scoring drive against Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals had a chance to limit the damage of returner Darius Phillips' second fumble of Sunday's overtime loss at Paul Brown Stadium with a stop on third down late in the second quarter.
Bengals defensive back Vonn Bell picked up a ball that came out of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's hand and ran with it, appearing to point at a defender. It drew a taunting penalty to extend the Niners' drive, and they scored on the following play on George Kittle's 14-yard touchdown catch.
"How many times do you have to be told not to do it?" CBS play-by-play announcer Greg Gumbel said of Bell's infraction.
Social media reactions:
The ensuing play after the Vonn Bell penalty, the 49ers score a touchdown to go up 16-6. This is not playoff football level by Cincinnati, you can't gift opportunities like that away at home in December
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) December 12, 2021
Vonn Bell's second taunting call this season, both proving to be costly penalties this season. Now the 49ers have a fresh set of downs at the 14-yard line
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) December 12, 2021
Last week, speaking about the Bengals being the least penalized team in the league, Zac Taylor said he was most proud about the lack of taunting penalties.
Vonn Bell just committed a crucial one to gift the 49ers a first down.— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) December 12, 2021
Brutal swing there for the #Bengals. They stop the #49ers after the fumbled punt and should have forced a field goal attempt. Instead, Vonn Bell gets called for taunting after the 3rd down incompletion and then, on the next play, TD from Jimmy G to Kittle. Here's the taunting... pic.twitter.com/0T7lfkHS3W
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) December 12, 2021
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Vonn Bell's taunting penalty extends Niners' scoring drive vs. Bengals
