The Cincinnati Bengals were looking to rebound after a bad loss last week but failed to show much of anything in a 41-16 spanking by the Browns. Cincinnati, after sitting 5-2 and in first place in all of the AFC, is now 5-4 staring up at both the Ravens and the Browns in the division. Yeah, it was a rough loss.
Zac Taylor spoke to the media following the loss and started off by recognizing that his team didn’t deserve to win.
Zac Taylor: “We let an opportunity slip through our hands today. We didn’t deserve to win."
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) November 7, 2021
He’s right in that this was a huge opportunity for the Bengals, as they could have been 6-3 at the BYE week. Instead, they’re now third place in the division and have a long battle ahead of them in the 2021 season.
Even though Taylor said his team didn’t deserve to win on Sunday, he promised that everyone would see a better team on the other side of the BYE week. The Bengals face the Raiders in Week 11 when they return to action.
Zac Taylor: “We didn’t deserve to win. They beat us plain and simple.”
— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) November 7, 2021
“You’re going to see a good football team after this bye and we’re going to be a team to be reckoned with.”#Bengals @fox19
Zac Taylor spoke to the media following the Bengals’ blowout loss
Another frustrating part of this game was once again the lack of targets for Tyler Boyd. When the Bengals drafted Ja’Marr Chase, it felt like either Boyd or Tee Higgins would be pushed out and Boyd has been the one to be excluded from the party.
Taylor was asked about that in his postgame presser, stating that Boyd “is a big part of what we do”. It sure doesn’t feel that way. He had a touchdown last week but otherwise, has been very limited in what he’s been asked to do over the past few weeks.
Zac Taylor on limited targets for Tyler Boyd: “TB Is a big part of what we do, and it would be a mistake on my part to not have him more involved."
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) November 7, 2021
Lastly, one of the biggest questions over the past few weeks have surrounded the defensive decline. After the group became a top-10 unit early in the season, they’ve floundered mightily in the past two weeks. Taylor addressed that, noting “it’s a different issue each week”.
Zac Taylor on what's the most concerning trend of the defensive play over the last week: It's a different issue each week
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) November 7, 2021
While the Bengals are still a good team, they haven’t played like it the past two weeks. The defense is terrible, the offense isn’t doing what needs to be done, and the coaches aren’t putting this team in a position to win.
It’s been a really rough couple of weeks for the Bengals after their 5-2 start and Zac Taylor is going to feel the heat on his seat once again, deservedly so.
The BYE week couldn’t have come at a better time.