Fansided

Bengals begin rebuild with Zac Taylor at the helm

By Dylan Streibig

CINCINNATI, OH - FEBRUARY 05: Zac Taylor speaks to the media as Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin looks on after being introduced as the new head coach for the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on February 5, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - FEBRUARY 05: Zac Taylor speaks to the media as Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin looks on after being introduced as the new head coach for the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on February 5, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The Cincinnati Bengals are charting a new course with head coach Zac Taylor, who hopes to eventually find the franchise’s first playoff win since 1991.

Best-case scenario

The Bengals are rebuilding in a loaded division. The playoffs are probably a stretch, even to the most optimistic Bengals fan. However, the offense is talented. Even though A.J. Green will miss some regular season time, he, Andy Dalton, Tyler Boyd, and Joe Mixon is as good a foursome as the NFL has to offer.

Considering new head coach Zac Taylor came from helping with last year’s high-powered Rams offense, Cincinnati seems to have a coach who will be able to get the best out of that group. Also, the schedule is workable early on. If the defense can go from the worst in football to just plain bad, 8-8 is realistic.

Worst-case scenario

If Taylor proves not to be ready for head coaching duties, the Bengals are in trouble. Taylor is just 36 and has never even been an NFL coordinator on full time basis. Almost the entire rest of the coaching staff is also brand new. There wasn’t a ton of player turnover on the roster in the offseason. It will be up to the staff to get the best out of players who largely underachieved in last year’s 6-10 season. Injuries also hit the Bengals hard last year, depth was an issue and remains so. Cincinnati is one or two key injuries away from the top pick in the 2020 draft.

Confidence level (Low, medium or high)

Low.

With a brand new an inexperienced coaching staff, no one really knows what to expect. Cincinnati’s offseason moves seem to foreshadow a run first offense, but nobody lays all their cards on the table in the preseason. Unknowns will remain until the regular season opener in Seattle. Moreover, there is no way to get firm grasp on where and what this team is until a handful of regular season games are played.

X-Factor

Preston Brown.

The veteran linebacker is entering his second year with the Bengals. He led the league in tackles in 2017 with Buffalo, but was limited to just seven games last year due to a knee injury. If Brown can manage to stay healthy, it would go a long way towards stabilizing the position group that drug down Cincinnati’s entire defense last year.

Turning point

Week 4 at Pittsburgh.

A 2-1 mark going into this game is realistic for Cincinnati going into this one. Two of its biggest bugaboos are represented in a single game here. The Steelers are 31-9 against the Bengals since 2000. Also, Andy Dalton’s teams are 5-20 in primetime games. Having said all of that, if the Bengals can buck both trends in this Monday Night matchups, it could springboard them to a surprise playoff push.

Best moment in team history

1981 AFC Championship — “The Freezer Bowl.”

This game was played with a wind-chill factor that made it feel like -59 degrees. That year’s league MVP, Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, led the Bengals to a 27-7 win over the Chargers to secure the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.