Regina CarmichaelThe Cincinnati Bengals are 1-4. Blame will be thrown in various directions following the backbreaking 41-38 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens but one person that shouldn’t go left unblamed is head coach Zac Taylor.
The Bengals caught a massive break when Lamar Jackson fumbled the ball on the Ravens’ first drive in overtime.
You’d think that’d mean that Joe Burrow, who had thrown for five touchdowns and just one interception on the day, would go out there and get the green light to handle the offense the way he wanted.
Well, the team opted to run the ball three times and settle on kicking a long field goal. When you have a kicker that’s as good as Evan McPherson, this might not seem like such a bad decision, but it was a cowardly move by Taylor.
Of course, we saw what happened there with Ryan Rehkow mishandling the hold and causing McPherson to miss what would have been the game-winning kick.
Following the loss, Taylor talked about how devastated he was for his players but never once took accountability for the way things played out. Meanwhile, his quarterback, wide receiver, and kicker accepted responsibility for the loss.
Not only did Taylor not take responsibility but he decided to throw Burrow under the bus. Taylor said that Burrow was the one who called a run when a pass play had actually been called on the play. This infuriated Bengals fans who have seen just about enough of Taylor.
Zac Taylor is holding the Bengals back
The Bengals hired Taylor in 2019 and his first two years did not go well with him collecting just six wins during that time. In his third year at the helm, Joe Burrow and the offense found their footing and the defense was lethal.
The Bengals shockingly reached the Super Bowl and that’s when it became clear that it’d take several disastrous seasons for Taylor’s job not to be safe.
This is the same organization that kept Marvin Lewis for 16 years despite the long-time head coach never winning a playoff game with the Bengals. This team reaching a Super Bowl and AFC Championship in back-to-back seasons pretty much cemented that Taylor’s job would be safe for the foreseeable future, even if he wasn’t the reason the Bengals reached those heights.
This isn’t the first time Taylor coached poorly. The losses to Green Bay and San Francisco in 2021 immediately come to mind when it comes to moments where Taylor took the ball out of Burrow’s hands. The Super Bowl was also another game where Taylor coached scared. If this team wants to be serious about contending, Zac Taylor needs to go.
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