Alex Frank
CINCINNATI — The headline to this article is a reality that two weeks ago I would have scowled at. But after watching the Bengals the last two weeks play as a team determined to prove something and play for their head coach, Zac Taylor, who was potentially on the hot seat, the reality that Taylor will likely be back for a third season isn’t so dooming or concerning.
What the Bengals have done the last two weeks is they have started to validate all the positive remarks that the Bengals second-year head coach has said at any of his press conferences. All that talk of how this team was so close, a few plays away from being better than what their record actually was, the culture they were attempting to create and how someday the tide was going to turn and that when they would be playing for championships they would look back on these times and how they navigated their way through them. Through the first 29 games of Taylor’s tenure here in the Queen City, it was the most fruitless coach-speak I have ever heard. But in the last two weeks, fruits of the labor this team has been putting in are potentially starting to sprout.
When you consider the level the Bengals have been able to perform at with what they didn’t have at their disposal the last two weeks, it is remarkable. It’s a remarkable display of coaching. The Bengals have won their last two games without Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd, Jonah Williams, Auden Tate, Geno Atkins, C.J. Uzomah, D.J. Reader, Trae Waynes… the list goes on and on and on and on. And those two wins were on Monday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team they had not beaten since week eight of the 2015 season prior to the win on Monday Night Football, and a win on the road at the Houston Texans, a franchise that has been a thorn in the Bengals side for about as long as the Texans have been in existence since 2002. Without those nine key players- NINE- the Bengals have exorcised their demons against their hated rivals and won on the road for the first time since week four of the 2018 season.
The win over the Steelers on Monday Night Football gave Zac Taylor his first win in prime time and first win against Pittsburgh. Marvin Lewis only won ONCE against Pittsburgh in prime time in 16 seasons as the Bengals head coach. Taylor has already equaled that total in less than two seasons as head coach. Then the win over Houston finally gave Taylor his first win on the road as a head coach. It only took him 16 games, but get a road win he finally did. And when that is factored in to the other tangible progress that has been made over the previous two games and knowing how this front office does business, they’re more than likely to give Zac Taylor another season as head coach of this franchise.
Taylor coming back next season, though, does offer its advantages. Before Joe Burrow went down in week 11, we saw him post his best performances of his rookie season in weeks six through eight, when he threw for nearly 1,000 yards over that three-game stretch with five touchdown passes and an additional two rushing scores. Cincinnati put up 31.7 points per game over that stretch, and we saw Taylor’s potential as a play caller. With Burrow, Taylor showed he was comfortable letting him throw 40-50 times a game. That may have been widely perceived as risking him getting injured, which he ultimately did, but it also put the Bengals in position to win several games early on in the season. An improved receiving corps for Burrow to work with also contributed to Taylor’s play-calling allowing Burrow to sling the ball around frequently.
Taylor coming back will allow his connection between him and Burrow to only continue to foster. This is an instance where continuity is a good thing. Yes Burrow did adjust well to a new offensive coaching staff between the ’18 and ’19 seasons at LSU, but that was because change was needed to unlock his potential along with the potential of LSU’s lethal receiving corps. With the offensive coaching staff that’s already here in Cincinnati, we have already seen how good Burrow and the receiving corps can be. So why does there need to be a change in the head coach? Now that the Bengals have won two straight significant games without several key players, it is clear that winning with this coaching staff is possible. Especially when you consider Burrow is coming back next year, and he is good enough to overcome any deficiencies with Taylor and other members of the coaching staff that may carry over into 2021.
There are those who didn’t want the Bengals to win their previous two games because they have now moved them down in the draft order and have most likely earned Zac Taylor a third season as head coach of this franchise. There are fans who wanted the Bengals to either lose out or just maintain at least the third pick in the draft so they could land prized offensive line prospect Pennei Sewell and fire Zac Taylor to start anew with the coaching staff. And those fans who didn’t want the Bengals to win their last two games; you’re not true fans. I’m sorry. But as a true Bengals fan, one whose family has had season tickets since 1968, I want them to win every week, regardless if losing is the “better” outcome.
And for the record, no NFL team has ever intentionally fallen into a high draft pick. These are professional athletes who play the game of football for their careers. This is their job, what they get paid to do. No player is trying to help a team lose. New York Jets running back Frank Gore was adamant about how he didn’t want to finish his career the way the Jets were performing earlier this season, and that was when the Jets were getting blown out week after week. Well, the Jets have also won two straight games against two teams who both may be playing in the playoffs. Again, no team has ever, nor will they ever, intentionally lose to get a high draft pick.
The long-lasting narrative of the Bengals front office valuing continuity has drawn the frustration out of a majority of the fanbase in recent years. However, in this instance it might actually be a good thing. After seeing Burrow flourish with Zac Taylor letting him sling the ball 40-50 times a game, there is something to build on with him and the young talented cast that surrounds him.
Contrast Burrow from Baker Mayfield, who is already on his fourth head coach in his first three seasons. Now, yes, he has had arguably the best season of his career under first-year head coach Kevin Stefanski. But the question with him is consistency. Can he do what he has done this year next year and the next several years?
With Burrow, I know he can. Not only did he flourish with Taylor’s play-calling and a talented young receiving corps, but he also showed the ability to overcome deficiencies on the field- cough, cough; offensive line- and overcome what is, yes, a questionable coaching staff.
My point is, this is an instance where it might be better to keep the head coach with a young talented quarterback. This is an instance where valuing continuity and being patient with the head coach may actually be a good thing. Burrow is already going to be rehabbing from a devastating injury. Why put a whole new offense and playbook to learn on his hands in addition to the rehab?
What Zac Taylor has been able to show the previous two games with the resourcefulness and creativity with the players who have been available, understanding that Burrow and several key players are coming back next season and knowing how this front office thinks about business decisions, the reality is Zac Taylor will more than likely be back for a third season. Fans can be as upset as they want to be that the Bengals won their previous two games, but the reality is that this team wasn’t going to try and intentionally lose them. And because they won their previous two games, the reality is Zac Taylor will likely be back next season. Fans can either embrace that reality or hope this team gets a high draft pick next season and maybe gest rid of the current coaching staff. But Zac Taylor is coaching to win games, and he has done a masterful job at that the previous two games and will continue to coach to win games next season, with a roster that will have a lot of talent. That’s the reality, and I’m embracing it.
Let me be Frank and Cut to the Chase 