Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has never been celebrated as one of the league's elite at his job, but he's done more than serviceable work in his post in the Queen City. That said, the NFL is a bottom-line business, and Taylor hasn't gotten the Bengals to the playoffs in the last three seasons.
So despite all the goodwill Taylor built up amid a 2-0 start, his job security will be further under fire after every loss. And Sunday's 30-27 shocker in Pittsburgh was a baffling setback, given that the Bengals could've gone up by double digits multiple times and easily pulled away.
As Joe Burrow has said in the past, execution ultimately comes down to the players. They didn't execute when all the chips were down. Let's assess how that reflects on Taylor's job status.
Zac Taylor Hot Seat Meter after Week 3: BUNS ARE WARMING — 3.5/10
You'll hear players often say that a football game doesn't come down to one or two plays. Everyone could've done something more to contribute to a winning effort. It's impossible to deny, though, that the Bengals cost themselves 10 points with surreal special teams mistakes.
Does that fall on Zac Taylor? Yeah, it kinda does. Special teams coach Darrin Simmons called for a punt block with Cincinnati up 20-17, and Cedric Johnson got a roughing the kicker penalty. That led to a Steelers touchdown.
Then, Ke'Shawn Williams' muffed punt set up a Pittsburgh field goal. It was Taylor's call to have Williams back deep over Dohnte Meyers, presumably because of cluster injuries at wide receiver to Anrei Iosivas and Colbie Young.
Taylor also burned a timeout with the clock fully stopped before the Bengals' final offensive drive could even begin. Joe Burrow proceeded to fumble the ball away to end the game.
A bad punt block call. A bad personnel decision. Poor timeout/game management when it mattered most. Yeah. I'd say Taylor's seat is a little warmer than it was entering Week 3's action.
There's an anti-clutch narrative about Burrow making the rounds. A not-inconsiderable quantity of fans suggest Taylor is actually to blame for Joe Shiesty's allegedly poor record (the stat is flawed) of coming from behind.
Zac Taylor stat https://t.co/60Xp4DAEzt
— Parker Blake (@ParkerBlake60) September 27, 2026
Or is it a "Bengals defense stat", ya know? Taylor has kept the offense rolling with Jake Browning and Joe Flacco relieving an injured Burrow in past seasons, only for the defense to let him down.
Anyway, beating the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4 would be Taylor's ultimate counterpunch. Or, I don't know, a Mortal Kombat Sub Zero/Joe Brrr-coded Ice Ball to offset the hot seat heat. You just wonder whether the Bengals' awful defensive effort in the Steel City will carry over, or whether home-field advantage will be enough to offset the Jags' multitude of playmakers on offense.
If Taylor drops back-to-back games to squander all that early momentum, the cries for his job will grow louder whether the blame truly falls on him or not.
This is the season of no excuses. The Bengals could probably upgrade at head coach if they were willing to pay the price. It's on Taylor to prove he's indispensable. Week 3 was not a step in the right direction, yet a 3.5 out of 10 is still low-alert levels for Taylor's hot seat status.
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