The Cincinnati Bengals' 22-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4 wasn't a great look for Zac Taylor in the sense that, despite how close the game was, he refused to commit to running the ball. Dropping Joe Burrow back over 50 times against a dynamic Jags front got him routinely pummeled.
Does this sound familiar? Because that's more or less been the way Burrow's entire career has gone. What happened to the whole under center offensive wrinkle? Doesn't seem to be a thing.
Taylor does get something of a pass for helping Cincinnati stay afloat with Ja'Marr Chase suffering a concussion (and eventually Tee Higgins getting injured, too). Still, the scrutiny on Taylor will only continue as the Bengals have backslid from 2-0 to 2-2 in a blink.
Zac Taylor Hot Seat Meter after Week 4: COOLING AGENT INCOMING — 4.5/10
If the Bengals' next opponent wasn't the 0-4 Miami Dolphins, Zac Taylor might be feeling the heat more. Miami hasn't scored more than 13 points in any game this season. Last week, I had him at a 3.5 after losing in Pittsburgh, and it's not like the Jaguars are a slouch of an opponent.
However, we have to bear in mind that this won't be some walkover game in Week 5. It has "trap" written all over it, especially if Cincinnati's offense is planning to be so one-dimensional with no running game to speak of.
To their credit, the Dolphins are playing hard. Three of their four losses were to 4-0 teams (Vikings, 49ers, Chiefs), and they dropped the season opener in Las Vegas, which feels a lot more impressive after the 3-1 Raiders nearly beat Kansas City in Week 4.
This matchup in Miami feels a lot less like a layup than it did prior to the season. I was confident the Bengals would win by two touchdowns. Now, I'm legitimately worried.
No matter who's playing wide receiver, Joe Burrow should be able to barbecue that Dolphins secondary. They don't have much of a pass rush to speak of. They didn't have a single sack until recording four on Sunday against Kyler Murray, who I don't really consider to be a real QB. Not hard to put that dude's brain in a pretzel with even mildly exotic schemes. A film junkie Kyler is not.
As long as Taylor takes care of business in Week 5 and gets the Bengals to their bye with a winning record, the heat will cool. That said, a road trip to Baltimore looms post-bye, and the offense had better be more balanced by then with an extra week to prepare for the Ravens.
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