There’s a point in every NFL franchise’s decline when change isn’t optional anymore. For the Cincinnati Bengals, that point came Sunday afternoon in Chicago. What unfolded at Soldier Field was a defining indictment of head coach Zac Taylor’s tenure.
Another collapse, another embarrassment
The Bengals blew yet another late lead. They surrendered 576 total yards and allowed the Bears to march 75 yards in the final minute for a game-winning touchdown with just 17 seconds left. The 47-42 defeat was the team’s sixth loss in nine games. It dropped them to 3-6 and extinguished what little hope remained of salvaging their season.
Offensively, backup quarterback Joe Flacco did his part. He threw for 379 yards and four touchdowns. Once again, though, a porous and undisciplined defense unraveled at the worst possible time. Sadly, this has become the hallmark of Taylor’s Bengals. This version of Cincinnati looks disorganized, defeated, and disconnected. Taylor stands at the center of it all.
Here we'll try to look at and discuss why the Bengals must fire Zac Taylor after latest defensive collapse vs. Bears.
Failure to provide necessary adjustments and leadership
Zac Taylor’s biggest failure is cultural. After yet another defensive collapse, his postgame comments rang hollow.
“We just gotta find a way,” Taylor said, emphasizing effort and positivity while offering no tangible solutions. Right now, however, optimism isn’t a plan.
The problem is that the defense has been bad for years. This unit has become a revolving door of blown assignments and missed tackles. Players look lost, coverage busts have become weekly occurrences, and opposing offenses know they can pick their spots. Yet Taylor continues to double down on patience and platitudes instead of accountability and answers.
Player frustration is bubbling to the surface. Ja’Marr Chase and Chase Brown reportedly voiced their discontent postgame. Meanwhile, several defensive players refused to speak to the media. That's a clear sign of a locker room divided. When one side of the ball is producing 40-plus points and still losing, resentment is inevitable.
Taylor’s leadership once brought stability and identity to the Bengals during their early playoff runs. Now, however, that steady demeanor feels like complacency. When a coach repeatedly insists ‘we’ll figure it out' after years of the same mistakes, it’s no longer reassurance. It’s resignation.
Stagnation and repeat failures
Taylor’s Bengals are caught in a cruel cycle of déjà vu. Every week, we see moments of brilliance on offense undone by catastrophic breakdowns on defense. In fact, this is the second straight game in which Cincinnati’s offense scored more than 38 points and still lost.
Even during last season’s mediocre campaign, the Bengals found creative ways to lose close games. They were 2-6 in one-score contests last year, and they’ve already lost four this season in similar fashion. At some point, the inability to close games just reflects the head coach’s culture.
Recall that Taylor was hired to bring an innovative offensive identity to Cincinnati. To his credit, the Bengals have produced fireworks, especially when they have Joe Burrow healthy. That said, football is a three-phase game. The defensive unit is now among the worst in the NFL. That remains an unaddressed liability.
Lost locker room and fading accountability
One of the hallmarks of great coaching is the ability to sense when a locker room is losing faith and to recalibrate accordingly. Taylor appears to have lost that touch.
Yes, he preaches positivity and unity. His players, though, are signaling something different. The defense looks emotionally checked out, and postgame comments hint at frustration with the lack of adjustments. Even the offensive side has expressed quiet concern about the team’s inability to sustain momentum.
Taylor’s greatest strength used to be his locker-room presence. Now, that very trait may be masking deeper issues. The trust between Taylor and his players is eroding. And once that cracks, there’s rarely a path back.
Limited path forward
Firing Taylor midseason might not fix the Bengals overnight. On theflip side, keeping him ensures the spiral continues. His defenders will argue that injuries have handicapped the team. However, that excuse rings hollow when the same defensive issues persist regardless of who’s under center.
Even if Burrow were healthy, this version of the Bengals couldn’t compete for a championship. Their defense is too porous and their leadership too reactive. Worse, the problems stem from the top down.
For all the goodwill Taylor earned by guiding Cincinnati to past postseason runs, the NFL is a “what have you done lately” league. And lately, the answer is simple: nothing good.
Time to move on
It’s rare that firing a coach midseason feels both inevitable and necessary. For the Bengals, however, that moment has arrived. Zac Taylor’s tenure has plateaued, and his inability to build a competent defense has squandered another year of offensive potential.
Cincinnati fans have seen enough. The front office has to act to restore accountability to a franchise that once believed it had turned the corner.
