The Cincinnati Bengals head into the bye week after a much-needed win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 5.
While star wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase played against the Dolphins, their status was questionable leading up to the game, so a week of rest should prove extremely beneficial. Typically, bye weeks are more useful later in the season, but Taylor said this bye fell at the right time during his press conference earlier this week:
"I think that was your gut reaction when you first saw when the bye was, 'Man.' ...You kind of like it more towards Thanksgiving, but I do think just where our team is right now and the way that these last three games have gone down to the wire and guys playing through some stuff right now, it is a good time to get the bye and get our legs back underneath us, get some guys healthy, and go full force when we come back from Baltimore."
Zac Taylor's history coming out of the bye week isn't the full story
On the surface, Taylor's 3-4 record as a head coach after bye weeks doesn't inspire much hope. One important factor to consider is that three of those losses came without quarterback Joe Burrow at the helm.
Since 2021, Burrow and Taylor are 3-1 in the week coming right after the bye week. That winning record will be put to the test against a hot Baltimore Ravens team that will likely have star quarterback Lamar Jackson back from injury.
While the record for the week right after the bye is important, the way the team continues to play is what shows how the rest of the season will go. Burrow and Taylor have consistently used the bye week as a turning point, resulting in a 27-9 record after the bye week.
Since 2021, the Bengals have only once had a losing record after the bye week. That was in 2025, when they went 3-5 in the remaining eight weeks of the season. With Burrow at the helm after the bye week in 2025, the Bengals were 3-3, meaning Burrow and Taylor have never had a losing record after the bye week.
The only dominant performance over a decent team in the entire 2025 season was the game in which Burrow returned to beat the Ravens 32-14 on Thanksgiving. While it wasn't a bye week for the team, it proved that Burrow plays at a high level when he has extra time to prepare.
If the Bengals can manage to win 75% of their games to finish out this season, they will likely find themselves firmly planted in playoff position in a conference that is full of contenders.
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