Bengals postgame wrap following loss to Ravens
Enquirer beat writer Kelsey Conway breaks down the Bengals’ 24-0 loss to the Ravens on Dec. 14.
One day after the Cincinnati Bengals were eliminated from postseason contention, sixth-year head coach Zac Taylor sought to provide an honest assessment of himself.
The Bengals are 4-10, and Taylor owned every bit of his team’s record.
“This year certainly hasn’t been good enough with the record we’re at right now,” Taylor said on Dec. 15.
When the season goes as poorly as this one has for Cincinnati, not one individual shoulders all of the blame, he said. But, because Taylor is the head coach and is put in front of a microphone multiple times a week, he’s the person who has to answer for all that has gone wrong for the Bengals − even if it was out of his control.
Taylor and his staff understand it comes with the coaching territory. Because of this, Taylor said, he doesn’t allow himself to be affected by criticism or praise.
“When I tell you there’s a brick wall surrounding me and isolating me from any feelings people have about me or their views on me, I can’t allow that to dictate how I operate.” Taylor said. “And so, truthfully, that doesn’t affect me in any way, shape or form, and I just keep doing my job to the best of my abilities.”
Taylor has seen this movie before. Early in his tenure as Bengals head coach, the team won a total of six games in his first two seasons (2019-20).
Bengals coach Zac Taylor on teams shutout loss vs. Ravens
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor speaks to the media following a 24-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 14.
Taylor remained consistent and believed his plan would come to fruition in time. And it did. The Bengals went on to make a Super Bowl run in 2021 and followed up the next season with an AFC championship game appearance.
He’s proved his method works. Not riding the emotional roller coaster in good times or bad times is essential for NFL head coaches to be able to handle adversity.
The Bengals have three more games left in the season. Taylor and the rest of the Bengals’ organization will get an early start on their offseason to-do list while the playoffs get started.
It’s not where Taylor imagined his team would be in mid-December. But this is where the Bengals put themselves, and there’s no hiding from it. Taylor’s contract as head coach of the Bengals goes through the 2026 season.
Taylor and his staff will wait for the offseason to begin before they undergo their annual review of the season. The focus remains on Miami this week and finding a way to win their final games.
And that’s why franchise quarterback Joe Burrow and the starters will continue to play for the remainder of the season, Taylor confirmed on Dec. 15.
“From a personality standpoint, a lot of people, when things aren’t great, they want you to change who you are and your personality, and that’s one thing I refuse to do,” Taylor said. “That’s kind of why I am here today, is because of all the challenges I have faced in my life.
“… 2019, 2020, I did everything I could to stay true to who I was so that the players know what they’re going to get every single day, what the expectations are going to be … so, that’s not going to change for me in 2025 or going into 2026. I am disappointed where we are in the season right now. I feel everyone’s frustration. I feel the same frustration. And we want to finish the season on a really strong note. That’s important to me. That should be important to everybody. We’re in this business to win football games, and we haven’t won enough football games. It’s very important we go out and win starting this week.”