The Cincinnati Bengals aren't hurting on offense even with Joe Burrow injured for much of the season, and that's a big credit to head coach Zac Taylor.
For all the criticism he fields, some of it deserved, Taylor knows how to adjust on the fly when adversity strikes. Unfortunately, Joe Flacco playing at an elite level in Burrow's stead hasn't been enough for Taylor to produce the desired results on game days of late.
Thanks to 86 points allowed by the defense against the Jets and Bears, Cincinnati slid into its Week 10 bye at 3-6, on a two-game losing streak. That's evidently freshened speculation about Taylor's future.
However...
Bengals brain trust too prideful to fire Zac Taylor amid hot seat rumors
Matt Verderame of The MMQB ranked the top coaches on the hot seat, and listed Taylor as the No. 3 candidate to be fired behind Miami's Mike McDaniel and AFC North rival Kevin Stefanski of the Browns.
Here's what Verderame had to say about Taylor's outlook, and what landed him on such a list in the first place.
"Taylor’s decision to fire longtime defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo looks more inexcusable by the day. Anarumo now oversees the Colts’ defense, which has helped Indianapolis to first place in the AFC South. Meanwhile, Cincinnati’s defense is dead last in points and yards allowed under Al Golden. Considering Marvin Lewis lasted 16 years without a playoff win, it’s unlikely Taylor will be fired. But it has to be considered."
Now bear in mind, this was indeed published on Tuesday, right on the heels of the Dolphins' 30-13 blowout of the Bills. Having McDaniel as the likeliest coach to be fired is a little suspect to me.
Does Zac Taylor being fired *have* to be considered? I mean I guess. It's just that the powers that be in the Bengals' organization will never do so in a serious manner.
Why is that? Well for one, Taylor has a whole 2026 season remaining on his current contract. Owner Mike Brown will not pay two head coaches at once if he can help it at all. Oh, and Brown won't pay for an elite head coach in general! So it's not like there's some big-name upgrade who Brown and his in-laws would be suddenly willing to pony up big bucks for.
It's not lost on me how frustrating it is for Who Dey Nation to keep rolling with Taylor Literally any top-flight coaching candidate would do unspeakable things to coach Joe Burrow and this offense.
But let's face it, Taylor has done a commendable job with far fewer resources than most of his peers have to work with. He gets little help from the scouting department, and regarding Lou Anarumo's dismissal, I don't think Al Golden or any coach can make this historically awful Bengals defense work in 2025.
Cincinnati's biggest problems are above Taylor's head. The same was true during Marvin Lewis' tenure. It's the Duke Tobin-led personnel department that can't identify defensive talent in the draft to save their lives.
The remedy is obvious. Go all-in during the Burrow era. Like truly all-in. Fire Tobin. Fire Taylor and upgrade there. Splurge on many more scouts. Trade for established veterans instead of lighting draft picks on fire in perpetuity.
Of all those directives, firing Taylor would be the one I'm least into. He's doing fine with what he's got. If that defense wasn't a complete sieve, the Bengals would be at least 5-4 and in first place right now.