The Cincinnati Bengals will benefit from a media picking them last in the AFC North

No one expects much from the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019. With expectations so low, the pressure is too, especially for a rookie head coach.

6-10 is a pretty bad record in the NFL and a certain sour note for Cincinnati Bengals fans. That said, the Arizona Cardinals were 3-13, the Oakland Raiders were 4-12, and the San Francisco 49ers were equal to their Bay Area neighbors, also winning only four games.

In a division where eyes will be everywhere but Cincinnati, the Bengals have a unique opportunity. With the expectations low, the pressure is sure to be less than what it is for other teams in the AFC North.

In Cleveland, Baker Mayfield HAS to shine and will be expected to take the Browns to the playoffs and maybe beyond. In Baltimore, Lamar Jackson absolutely HAS to get his team back to the postseason, and in Pittsburgh Ben Roethlisberger NO longer has any excuses.

Let’s face it, the Bengals could go anywhere from 6-10 to 8-8. Even a modest pickup of only two games over last season, and by every definition they will have had a pretty good year.

Zac Taylor, who joins the ranks of a youth movement of NFL head coaches, won’t inherit the expectations of teams who need to win now. He doesn’t need to keep a second-year quarterback from sliding back like in Cleveland and Baltimore. Frankly, he is somewhat fortunate to have a veteran in Andy Dalton back and healthy for 2019. That’s significant and could prove helpful in Taylor’s rookie season.

Bengals owner Mike Brown is all in on Taylor and is well aware of where his team has been, and where he hopes they are going.

“I’m aware of how we have done. I wish we had done better. And I look forward to the opportunity to try to do better,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said.

Most important, especially for Bengals fans, is the measured approach Taylor is taking with a team many assume will finish last.

"“I really don’t pay much attention to it. Because I know the work that needs to go into it to be successful. We just measure ourselves against ourselves right now,” Taylor said. “What we are working on is making sure we set high standards for our coaching staff, our players and that we compete to that level every day and that doesn’t fall off.”"

Cincinnati will be a team whose accomplishments are measured by not just wins, but in the day to day tangible progress of a rookie head coach getting his team to buy-in. A good start in September would go a long way in achieving that “buy-in.” Taylor is smart. He is taking an approach where what the sports pundits say means very little inside the locker room.

"“We know that if we do that and take care of those little things than we’ll have the success that we expect. It doesn’t matter what the media thinks about us. That all changes Week 1 when you put on the pads.”"

Low expectations can be a good thing. For the Cincinnati Bengals, besting those low expectations will be a pleasant surprise.