Bengals: Five keys to victory over the Browns on TNF in week two

More aggression from Zac Taylor

When the Bengals lost to the Chargers on Sunday, one of the biggest critiques by fans and media alike was that head coach Zac Taylor should have been more aggressive. Down by three points with seven seconds left in the game, Taylor chose to take the ball out of his franchise quarterback’s hands after driving all the way down the field and instead played it safe by kicking the game-tying field goal.

Unfortunately for Cincinnati, kicker Randy Bullock missed the kick and they lost the game. If the Bengals had taken another shot to the end zone, they could have come away with a big-time win and gotten a major confidence boost for their rookie quarterback. If they had missed the pass, the end result would have been the same.

Taylor played it safe and went for overtime instead of the win and that ultimately cost the Bengals the game. This wasn’t the only overly safe decision Taylor made in the game, though. The Bengals did not go for it on fourth-down the entire game despite being given opportunities to do so.

To keep up with an offense that features Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Austin Hooper, and more, the Bengals are going to have to take those risks on Thursday. If not, they will lose a winnable game just like against the Chargers on Sunday.