The Bengals are 1-4 and tied for last place in the AFC North heading into a ‘Sunday Night Football’ matchup against the Giants in Week 6.
That increases the pressure on sixth-year coach Zac Taylor to engineer a turnaround. Cincinnati lost to division rival Baltimore 41-38 in Week 5, and Taylor has taken criticism for how overtime unfolded.
Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt recovered a Lamar Jackson fumble on the first possession, but Cincinnati settled for a 53-yard field-goal attempt. Evan McPherson missed the attempt, and Baltimore responded with the game-winning field goal.
“I got to put us in a better position, really,” Taylor said via ESPN.com. “There’s a lot of talent on the team, and as the coach, you’ve got to find ways to maximize that and make sure we’re walking off with wins, and I haven’t done a good enough job with that.”
Yet another slow start under Taylor and put Cincinnati behind in a tight AFC playoff race. How much heat is Taylor under now? A closer look at the coach’s hot seat:
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Bengals record with Zac Taylor
Taylor is 38-48-1 since taking over as Cincinnati’s head coach in 2019, but that record is misleading.
The first two seasons, which amounted to a 6-25-1 record, were part of a rebuild. Cincinnati took Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and receiver JaMarr Chase with the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
That helped reverse the fortunes of the franchise. The Bengals finished 10-7 in 2021, and they made a run to Super Bowl LVI, where they lost to the Los Angeles Rams 23-30.
Cincinnati finished 12-4 the following season and made the AFC championship game. The Bengals lost to the Chiefs 23-20. In 2023, Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury and the Bengals finished 9-8. Now, Cincinnati is 1-4 and in danger of missing the postseason for the second straight year.
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Cincinnati’s slow starts under Zac Taylor
Despite that success, Cincinnati has become known for slow starts the past few seasons. A look at the Bengals’ record through five games each of the last four seasons:
| YEAR | RECORD THROUGH 5 GAMES |
| 2021 | 3-2 |
| 2022 | 2-3 |
| 2023 | 2-3 |
| 2024 | 1-4 |
The Bengals started 0-2 in 2022 and 2023, and they were 0-3 this season before beating Carolina 34-24 in Week 4. Those slow starts have been a frequent criticism of Taylor.
Zac Taylor contract
Taylor is under contract with the Bengals through 2026. He signed an extension in 2022 after leading Cincinnati to an appearance in the Super Bowl. Terms of the buyout were not disclosed, and per reports, Taylor makes $4.5 million per season.
Of coaches whose salaries are available, only four coaches have a lower annual salary.
How hot is the coaching seat under Zac Taylor?
There are other factors that have played into the Bengals’ slow start.
The franchise has downplayed contract disputes involving three star players. Chase has no plans to negotiate a long-term deal during the season and would potentially be a free agent in 2026. Tee Higgins is under a franchise tag this season, and edge rusher Trey Hendrickson requested a trade during the offseason. Taylor cannot be blamed for those situations.
Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who has been with Taylor over the past six seasons, is feeling more pressure now. Cincinnati ranks 31st in scoring defense (31.0 ppg.) and 26th in total defense (365.4 ypg.) and the Ravens racked up 520 total yards in Week 5. The Bengals have dealt with several injuries on defense, the latest coming when cornerback Dax Hill suffered a torn ACL. Still, this team misses D.J. Reader, who signed with Detroit this offseason.
This is the same team that lost 26-25 to Kansas City in Week 2 in a matchup decided by a controversial pass interference call in the game’s final drive, and the Bengals are the last team to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs.
Burrow leads the NFL with 12 TD passes and has a career-high 72.3-percent completion percentage. There still is time to get back in the AFC playoff mix over the next four games, a stretch that includes the Giants, Browns, Eagles, and Raiders.
A coaching change seems unlikely given Brown’s history of retaining coaches, especially if the relationship between Taylor and Burrow remains steady and gets the Bengals back on track, but at some point, Taylor needs to start winning to ensure his job is secure.
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