NFL Twitter unites to bash Bengals coach Zac Taylor in AFC Championship
When the Cincinnati Bengals fell behind early in the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs, NFL Twitter went after head coach Zac Taylor.
The Bengals made it to the AFC Championship, further than most would have expected from them this season.
That doesn’t mean head coach Zac Taylor was spared any criticism when his underdog squad got taken to task by the Chiefs in the first half.
Patrick Mahomes was nearly perfect while Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati offense struggled to find the endzone. NFL Twitter felt Taylor was the blame.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor took a beating against the Chiefs
Zac Taylor isn't ready for this
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 30, 2022
this play calling, sheeeesh
embarrassing
trying to force Joe Burrow to be perfect on 3rd down cause he's not focused on bypassing them
Chiefs lighting the bengals on fire and Zac Taylor trying to establish the run. Ok
— kyle (@knicks_tape99) January 30, 2022
Zac Taylor gonna hold that franchise back for years. Burrow and them gonna keep the team good enough to make him look good but never good enough to win it all
— Herbo (@ManLikeGinola) January 30, 2022
That’s why I can’t take Zac Taylor seriously. A nice, balanced drive and Burrow cold as ice on three 3rd downs.
— Jim Murray (@bigjimmurray) January 30, 2022
Deep red zone?
Goofy college play, followed by two low percentage pass plays into the end zone.
FOH
Zac Taylor belongs in Alcatraz for calling a TE screen to Drew Sample
— Riley Bush (@Rileybushh) January 30, 2022
Zac Taylor is Matt Nagy with better players
— Jeremy Layton (@JeremyLayt0n) January 30, 2022
Zac Taylor watches Josh Allen completely destroy this defense and thinks… yeah but we’re gonna go a different way
— Michael Boston (@michaelkboston) January 30, 2022
Zac Taylor should really listen to Tony Romo and stop running on first downs. It's going nowhere and they're basically playing with one fewer down vs KC.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 30, 2022
Zac Taylor should be fired solely for the runs to the right side over and over.
— Vance Meek (@vancemeek) January 30, 2022
Zac Taylor on every first down run pic.twitter.com/gG6EdZs5un
— Kevin Cole (@KevinCole___) January 30, 2022
Taylor was criticized in particular for the way the Bengals offense tried to attack the Chiefs. Their struggling offensive line isn’t what got them to this point. Joe Burrow is. Taylor prioritized the run game to the detriment of the offense as a whole.
Offensive strategies have to include some semblance of balance but when you’re chasing an offense lead by Mahomes, you have to take the risks involved in being more aggressive. Then you can hit the defense with something they might not be expecting. That’s how Burrow hit Samaje Perine for a touchdown on a screen in the first half.
Taylor may have gone into the AFC Championship Game as an underdog but he didn’t seem to pick up on the underdog mentality that helped him get there.
Finishing up his third season as a head coach in the NFL, Taylor would inspire more confidence from fans and commentators if he learned valuable lessons from his mistakes against the Chiefs.
Next. CBS halftime show was an absolute mess. dark