The Cincinnati Bengals' fanbase seems to believe the bloom is firmly off the rose for head coach Zac Taylor, and the Super Bowl runner-up didn't exactly do a good job of proving himself in a Saturday night game against the Denver Broncos as the playoff hopes hang on by a thread.
Going for it on fourth down in field goal range in the first quarter, Burrow was unable to even get a throw off and was sacked, taking points off the board because Taylor couldn't scheme anyone open. Taylor tried to punch it in for a touchdown after a 17-play drive that went down to the 3-yard line, and the Bengals again came up short.
The Bengals eventually broke through on a Tee Higgins touchdown, but the fact Cincinnati only took a 7-3 lead when this lead could have been as wide as 17-3 shows one of the problems Taylor has been having this year.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor ripped for two painfully bad fourth down play calls
What makes these performances even more difficult to swallow is the fact that Cincinnati's defense has held Denver's offense in check. It is a rookie quarterback in Bo Nix, but this unit seems to have made some improvements after struggling to a preposterous degree earlier in the season.
Burrow and Chase have been carrying this team all season, but this game is the result of what happens when your all-world quarterback and wide receiver struggle against an elite defense and arguably the best cornerback in the game. This team has no counterpunch if Option No. 1 doesn't work.
The Bengals have time to come back in this game, but this it not a good look for Taylor. Few coaches in the league have as much control over their offense as Taylor does, and the fact he is consistently letting his team down in key situations is not a good look for someone with questions about his overall ability to do the job.
Cincinnati losing this game in a vacuum may not spell the end of the Taylor era, but losing it if they are in a very advantageous position because of Taylor being unable to push the right buttons is the type of thing that has fans so frustrated.