Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has a contract that runs through next season, but how he handles Joe Burrow for the rest of this one will go a long way in securing his long-term future with the team.
Taylor and Burrow have had a lot of success together since the latter was drafted No. 1 overall in 2020. Unfortunately, major injuries are a big part of their shared story.
Joe Brrr rallied back from turf toe to blow out the Ravens 32-14 in Baltimore on Thanksgiving. As well as Taylor did in 2023 with Jake Browning under center and Joe Flacco in 2025, it wasn't enough to prevent Cincinnati from dropping eight of nine in Burrow's absence.
So how can both Taylor and Burrow avoid similar outcomes moving forward, assuming they're still together and Taylor isn't fired? It's pretty simple to me.
Zac Taylor must lean on resurgent running game to protect Joe Burrow down the stretch
Especially now that the Bengals defense is showing signs of life — where was this before, y'all!? — Zac Taylor needs to modify his approach with Joe Burrow.
I get that Taylor wants to lean into the strengths of his football team. Cincinnati hasn't had a competent rushing attack for years, though. That all changed when Flacco went under center. The Bengals went from historically bad at pounding the rock to one of the league's best.
Check out these pre-Thanksgiving numbers:
For the entire season now, the Bengals Running offense is 2nd in EPA and 3rd in Rush Success Rate.
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) November 24, 2025
They're only behind the Colts and Rams.
This is BY FAR the most efficient running game the Bengals have had in the Zac Taylor era.
Chase Brown proceeded to average 5.2 yards per carry in the win over the Ravens. Burrow was coming off that injury. Taylor still continued an unsettling trend of putting Joey Franchise in harm's way.
Per ESPN Insights, Burrow had his sixth career game of 45+ pass attempts, two TD passes and zero interceptions. It's the most of any QB since he entered the league. The irony is, Taylor himself indirectly copped to the problem with this approach after the fact.
"Really happy...that was the first all around game we've played all season."
— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) November 28, 2025
-Zac Taylor #Bengals pic.twitter.com/ip1i2WS2gs
Yeah, lo and behold Zac! You actually played complementary football for once — and it could've looked even better if you ran the ball more in the red zone and in general!
Leaning on Burrow so much is part of why Cincinnati is in such a mess this season, and really, over the last three years. It's time to not repeat that mistake, capable as Joe is of shouldering the burden. When healthy.
We'll see if Taylor alters his approach. For the sake of Burrow's longevity, keeping the defense fresher and the offense more balanced, Praying that he does. Such a tactical tweak just might save Taylor's job — and bolster the Bengals' faint hopes of winning the AFC North.