Zac Taylor disasterclass is the biggest culprit for Bengals crushing loss on TNF

The Cincinnati Bengals lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 35-34, on Thursday Night Football. It was a crushing loss, made especially upsetting by the availability of it all. A few better play calls here and there, and we're probably talking about a Bengals victory.

It's hard to blame the individual players here. Cincinnati was treated to an all-time performance from Ja'Marr Chase, who reeled in 11 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Not a typo. Joe Burrow, meanwhile, completed 34-of-56 passes for 428 yards and four touchdowns. It was a gutsy performance from Burrow, fighting through discomfort down the stretch, but it was not enough.

The game ended with a Cincinnati touchdown in the waning moments. An extra-point would have tied it and sent the game to overtime, but rather than taking his chances against Lamar Jackson in an extra period, Zac Taylor decided to go for the win. The Bengals attempted a two-point conversion and watched as Burrow sailed his pass over Tanner Hudson's outstretched hands.

This was a gutsy call. There is a certain football analytics crowd that advocates for the two-point conversion in this spot, and the conversation is obviously different if Burrow completes that pass. It was a risk, and had Cincy won the game, we'd be praising Taylor for his bold play-calling. Instead, though, he gets justifiably roasted for hinging the Bengals' success on a single, goal-line pass attempt into traffic. Such is life for NFL coaches.

Zac Taylor comes under fire as Bengals blow chance to cut into Ravens' NFC North lead

This pretty much sums up the Zac Taylor experience, tonight more than ever.

The two-point conversion was not Taylor's only, um, questionable call. With less than 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Cincinnati faced third-and-two on the Ravens 34-yard line. Burrow lobbed it to the end zone incomplete, rather than targeting a route closer to the line to gain. On fourth-and-two, rather than kicking a field goal to extend their 21-20 lead, the Bengals went for it — and threw another bomb down the sideline, which fell complete.

Going for it on third-and-two with plans for a more conservative play on fourth-and-two is at least understandable. Just dialing up back-to-back 30-yard bombs with the game hanging in the balance, with a short line to gain, is utterly confounding. Some of that blame deflects back to Burrow for his decision-making in the pocket, but Taylor is the coach. He's dialing up the plays. Why not prioritize feeding the red-hot Ja'Marr Chase on a short route over the middle, or hey, just feed Chase Brown twice. All it takes is a yard on each run.

This was a befuddling coaching performance from Taylor. It's hard to say the Bengals should have won this game, but it definitely should have ended differently, ideally with Burrow mounting a full drive in overtime. The inherent unpredictability of a two-point conversion makes it far too risky a choice in that moment, especially with so much to lose in the postseason race. Cincinnati falls to 4-6 with the loss, adding another game between them and Baltimore atop the division. That stings. A lot. If Cincy falls a game short of the playoffs, know we'll all circle back to this controversial late-game call from Taylor.

So... hot seat watch in Cincinnati?