Just before training camp got underway in late July, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor wrote on a board during a team meeting: The Bengals’ 2025 record— 6-11.
Even after a great offseason on the field and from the front office that, from a fan’s perspective, put last season’s disaster in the rearview mirror, Taylor pushed the right button by reminding the players that last season wasn’t good enough. Let’s not forget that while a lot of players from last year aren’t here, a lot of last year’s team still
is. That created the sense of urgency we saw throughout the offseason and training camp.
That sense of urgency carried into the preseason and Week 1, when the Bengals beat the Buccaneers 33-27 to start the season 1-0. Some say Week 1 is a liar, and that may be true.
However, I put a lot of stock in Week 1. It’s the first game of the season, and it sets the tone. Tampa Bay came into Sunday with five straight season-opening wins, the second-longest streak in the NFL behind the Philadelphia Eagles.
Baker Mayfield had thrown nine touchdowns in Week 1 over his first three seasons with the Buccaneers. On Sunday, the Bengals became the first team since Week 16 of 2018 to have a scoop-and-score against the Buccaneers, snapped Tampa Bay’s five-game winning streak in Week 1, and held Baker Mayfield without a touchdown pass. They also forced and recovered three fumbles from Mayfield and recovered a fourth fumble from the Buccaneers.
Zac Taylor had the Bengals ready to play. The Bengals’ defense, much-maligned over the last three years, was all over the field for the entire 60 minutes. They didn’t force a punt, but they forced four turnovers. That makes up for not forcing a punt.
Before training camp, Taylor also challenged his coordinators to make sure they’re using their great talent accordingly. On Sunday, Al Golden’s defense sacked Mayfield four times and recovered four fumbles. They also held Tampa Bay to two field goals, including on a promising first drive for the Buccaneers. They even held the Bucs to just 282 total yards. They held just two teams under 300 yards last year: The 5-12 Cleveland Browns and the 3-14 Arizona Cardinals.
The Bengals’ defense will also improve, and their leaders will make sure of it.
For what it’s worth, the Bengals only punted once, and their offense, after a three-and-out on their first drive, scored on five of their next seven drives. One of those drives ran out the clock in the fourth quarter. After the Bengals’ first preseason game, Zac Taylor said in the locker room that they had to get better at finishing games with their four-minute offense.
On Sunday, the Bengals ran out the final 3:14 of the clock on offense. They were aggressive, headlined by Burrow’s dart to a leaping Tee Higgins over the middle, and efficient, facing only one third down, which came when they were already in the red zone.
Evan McPherson was named a captain on the Monday before the season started. On Sunday, McPherson made four field goals, including three in the second half. Two of those field goals were from at least 55 yards, including a 58-yarder at the start of the fourth quarter. Those two 55+ yard field goals accounted for six points. The Bengals won the game by six points. McPherson earned Week 1 AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.
Taylor has his imprint all over this team. He called a great game on Sunday, has command of the locker room, holds his coordinators accountable, and has let go of any arrogance he may have had the last three years. Success can affect people in different ways.
The Bengals got so close to winning the Super Bowl in 2021 and 2022. That may have given Taylor and the front office the impression they were set for the next several seasons. What followed, of course, was two straight 9-8 seasons with a playoff berth, but Taylor and the front office may have thought they had gotten unlucky with injuries and just needed to change a few things to get back into contention.
Then 2025 happened. That humbled Taylor, the front office, and Joe Burrow, not to mention everybody on the roster who went through last year.
What followed was an offseason that felt different. Zac Taylor sounded different. He sounded more urgent, recognizing the front office went all-in this offseason and sent a message: win this year, or maybe this is it for the Bengals’ head coach. Sunday after the game, Taylor gave Bengals’ director of player personnel Duke Tobin a game ball for his 200th win as a member of the Bengals. That shows respect and that there is alignment within the organization not seen since… maybe ever in the franchise’s history.
This is a confident Bengals team, but it’s not an arrogant Bengals team. In 2021 and 2022, they went about business as a confident group, but arrogance eventually may have seeped in. That’s why this offseason offered the opportunity for a complete reset, and Zac Taylor looks and sounds like he did just that.
Taylor is striking the right chords as a leader, and the players, including Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Dexter Lawrence, are rallying around him. Urgency is at an all-time high, and the steady-handed, positive identity and culture Taylor created from the moment he arrived are driving it.
Like the Bengals did this offseason, Taylor evolved as a leader, and it’s already paying dividends.
