Slow starts have been a theme for the Cincinnati Bengals during Zac Taylor's tenure as the head coach.
The Bengals began Taylor's tenure with 11 straight losses to start the 2019 season. The the silver lining to that slow start is that it ultimately resulted in the team being in position to select Joe Burrow with the top overall pick in the draft the following year.
In 2020, the Bengals started off the year 0-2-1 before finally getting a dub against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4. In 2021, the Bengals bucked the slow start trend by winning the first game of the season. But, the Bengals were back to old habits in 2022 and 2023, as they started off 0-2 in each of those seasons.
Zac Taylor knows that the Bengals need to find a way to start seasons better
In 2024, the Bengals started 0-3 before finally getting a win against the lowly Carolina Panthers in Week 4. Cincinnati ran off five straight wins to close out the season and they ended the campaign with a winning record (9-8), but their slow start ultimately kept them out of the postseason picture.
The fact that the Bengals need to start seasons faster isn't lost on anyone, including Taylor, who pointed to getting off to a better start as a priority for the team next season.
"We didn't start fast enough. We finished the year really well, but it was too little too late," Taylor said during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "We've got to do a better job next season of starting fast and putting ourselves in position to be in the driver's seat as we go. Obviously our goal is to win the division. That's the best path forward to the Super Bowl. and that's our plan for 2025."
Saying that the team needs to get off to a better start is one thing, but actually doing it is another. Luckily, the Bengals appear to have a plan in place -- or at least they're developing one -- in order to hit the ground running during the 2025 season.
"We're looking at revising our whole offseason plan, our training camp plan," Taylor said. "I know our guys will buy into that. There's a lot of things you could factor into it that we're still working through, but we got to start 1-0 to start the season. Put our best foot forward, build confidence that way. That way when we're playing good down the stretch, we're playing for significant things down the road."
It will be interesting to see what kind of changes the Bengals make to promote quicker starts. Perhaps they'll go harder as a team during training camp. or perhaps they'll opt to use their starters more during preseason play than they have in the past.
At least it sounds like the Bengals are being proactive about the issue, because the team simply can't afford another slow start in '25, and Taylor can't either. Another slow start -- or another year of missing the playoffs -- could ultimately cost Taylor his job.