The Cincinnati Bengals are 0-3 after their defense got completely cooked by the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football. Zac Taylor was not happy with one member on the defensive side of the ball, as he called out cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt for talking smack about Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury the week leading up to the game.
Taylor-Britt said of Kingsbury's offensive scheme that it was a "nice college offense" and his head coach did not appreciate this kind of smack talk about a team that "hasn't punted in two weeks". Taylor started the comment by noting "We don't need to take shots like that."
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Taylor-Britt did not have a good game, though none of the Bengals defense did, and said after the game that he didn't regret his comments. It might have been wise for him to have taken the high road here but after seeing Taylor-Britt talk smack every week, is it really surprising that he doesn't regret making those comments?
#Bengals HC Zac Taylor says Cam Taylor-Britt shouldn’t have made the comments he did last week.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 24, 2024
"We don't need to take shots like that. That team has not punted in two weeks."pic.twitter.com/cM0AVZvE2K https://t.co/gqt4p56Ddf
Zac Taylor shames Cam Taylor-Britt for not backing up his trash talk
It is a little interesting that Taylor normally preaches letting his players be themselves and is now scolding Taylor-Britt when the team is 0-3. While Taylor-Britt's comments certainly didn't help the situation, it's not entirely his fault that the team is in this winless hole.
The defense is an absolute mess right now and couldn't force a punt or a turnover in the game against the Commanders. The offense lit it up and the Monday night matinee was the first game since 1940 to not feature a punt or turnover, proving that the offenses were cooking.
Unfortunately for Cincinnati, if the defense can't turn things around in lightning speed, wins might be hard to come by. A Week 4 tilt against the Panthers no longer feels like the easy win it did a few weeks ago after former Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton stepped in and led Carolina to its first victory of the season.
We'll have to see if Taylor-Britt continues to take shots at the Bengals' upcoming opponents or if he's maybe finally learned his lesson. I'm leaning toward the former.