Bengals lack of discipline leading to ejections not likely to result in ejections

The ejections of Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd and safety Shawn Williams in separate incidents are not likely to lead to suspensions.

The lack of discipline showed by the Bengals on Sunday that led to the ejections of wide receiver Tyler Boyd and safety Shawn Williams in separate incidents are likely to end up with the players being fined but not suspended. Boyd was ejected in the first half with Dolphins star cornerback Xavian Howard following a tussle.

Boyd and Howard got into a scuffle on the sideline when the two slapped each other following a play. The play did not warrant either player getting ejected. Later in the game, Williams was ejected following a second personal foul penalty called on Bengals gunner Mike Thomas against Dolphins punt returner Jakiem Grant.

The play caused a fracas between the Bengals and Dolphins. Williams eventually traded blows with Dolphins wide receiver Davante Parker. That was preceded by Dolphins head coach Brian Flores coming off the sideline to defend his players. Williams, Parker and Dolphins WR Mack Hollins were all ejected.

The losses of Boyd and Williams were significant to the depth of the Bengals. Boyd had a 72-yard touchdown reception in the first half that was more than a third of the yards Cincinnati had in the entire game on offense. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor spoke after the game about the impact of losing Boyd and Williams.

"“I think our guys got put in some tough spots. Those are two core guys who got kicked out of the game…We don’t ever want that, we don’t want to ever throw a punch. We need those guys. We’re counting on those guys…Everyone has to maintain their composure, myself included.We just have to live with what happened. I know they were both very frustrated with what was going on. Shawn got hurt there on a blindside block and TB felt like he got hit way late out of bounds. We have to maintain our composure and be better than that.”"

A report from NFL.Com on Monday morning stated that fines are expected for the Bengals and Dolphins but suspensions are not. The question from a Bengals perspective is what will this do to the tenure of Taylor. A 4-23-1 record and lack of discipline from his team on Sunday look poorly on Taylor and his coaching staff.

How Cincinnati plays the remainder of the season could determine if Taylor is brought back for a third season. Playing disciplined and with effort could determine what Mike Brown decides to do. Cincinnati finishes the season with Dallas on Sunday, a Monday night game December 13 against Pittsburgh, Houston and Baltimore.