The Cincinnati Bengals have gone from a team bound to finish last in the AFC North to now being in the mix for the AFC title. Their renaissance as a consistent winner and Super Bowl title threat starts with one of the fastest-rising young stars in the head coaching realm, Zac Taylor.
How Long Has Zac Taylor Been Bengals Head Coach?
Taylor, 40, now enters his fifth season in Cincy. He was officially hired on Feb. 4, 2019. President Mike Brown not only helped introduce Taylor to the Bengals organization, but the new Bengals head coach had Brown fire off this message to “Who Dey” during his introductory press conference.
“Zac has as a goal to take the Bengals to the top in the National Football League,” Brown said. “That’s what all of our fans want, and that’s what all of our players want.”
Taylor, in turn, stated he wanted to build a team that would become “connected” from meetings to practices to off the field. And he added how he wanted “to bring great things to this city and to this franchise.”
Taylor’s done just that — back-to-back AFC title game appearances and a near Super Bowl victory against his former team, the Los Angeles Rams, in Super Bowl 56.
Who Was the Head Coach Before Taylor?
Taylor wasn’t just aiming to reignite a winning attitude in Cincy. He had to replace a beloved coaching figure in the city.
Marvin Lewis became the first to rebuild the Bengals into a more respectable franchise after enduring five consecutive double-digit losing seasons before his arrival. Lewis took over the team in 2003 and, right away, created teams good enough to finish .500.
MORE: Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow and Coach Zac Taylor Are One Step From History
Lewis got the Bengals to end their long dry spell in his third season, finishing 11-5 and ending 14 straight seasons of missing the playoffs. He would then produce seven total playoff runs in Cincinnati.
However, none of his Bengals teams won a playoff game, and the Lewis regime eventually ended following the 2018 season with three straight seasons of missing the postseason.
What Is Taylor’s Record With the Bengals?
Taylor is 33-38-1 overall with Cincinnati. He’s won 28 regular-season games, but 22 of them have come in the last two seasons.
Come playoff time, Taylor has a 5-2 record. He’s responsible for ending the Bengals’ long dry spell of winning a playoff game for the first time since the 1990 season.
Has Taylor Ever Won a Super Bowl?
Taylor has been coaching since 2008, which includes collegiate stops. Unfortunately, he’s yet to win his first ring.
Again, his last appearances ended with one player he once coached, Cooper Kupp, beating Eli Apple in the end zone for Super Bowl 56’s final dramatic touchdown.
Now, as Taylor enters Year 5 and with a stacked roster of Pro Bowlers from quarterback Joe Burrow, running back Joe Mixon, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, and a renewed energy in Cincy, the expectations for the town’s first Super Bowl title are higher than ever — with Taylor’s coaching helping create that spark.