Zac Taylor and the Cincinnati Bengals suffered a heartbreaking 34-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football. The Bengals were down 27-6 in the third quarter but fought back and tied the score at 27-27 in the fourth quarter.
Joe Burrow had chances to give the Bengals the lead and twice put them in field goal positions. Unfortunately, Cincinnati’s kicker, Evan McPherson, first missed a 48-yard attempt and then a 51-yard attempt. The Chargers ultimately broke the deadlock with a 29-yard touchdown run from J.K. Dobbins and went on to win the game.
With this loss, the Bengals are now 4-7 on the season and in grave danger of missing the playoffs. As a result, the fans went after the head coach and wanted him to get fired.
Fans React to Zac Taylor and Bengals’ Loss to the Chargers
Here’s how fans directed their anger towards Taylor after the Bengals’ loss in Week 11:
Fire Zac Taylor tonight and you have 2 weeks to figure something out
— BiggE (@EthanKimble) November 18, 2024
“The worst thing that ever happened to Burrow was dragging Zac Taylor to a Super Bowl and buying him a few years of job security,” said one fan.
Another fan added, “I hope we get to watch the firing of Zac Taylor in the mid-season Hard Knocks. Very curious to see what is happening inside those walls. The entire franchise is failing.”
Zac Taylor YOU are the newest member of the unemployment line https://t.co/SuNVmbLP3u
— JDH (@LukeSkywalkr) November 18, 2024
“Zac Taylor has to go,” said another fan.
“Bengals have the best QB, best WR in the NFL and have 4 wins. Fire Zac Taylor.” wrote one fan.
There are only three changes that need to be made:
-Zac Taylor unemployed
-Lou Anarumo unemployed
-Evan McPherson unemployed— Jack Gohlke Stan Account (@austin_mcbrown) November 18, 2024
Taylor is in his sixth season as the Bengals head coach. He currently has a record of 41-51 in the regular season and is 5-2 in the playoffs, including a Super Bowl appearance in the 2021 season.
It’s unlikely that the Bengals will fire Taylor during the season, but things need to change if he wants to keep his job. Looking at how quickly John Harbaugh has turned the Chargers around, a team like Cincinnati might look to do the same and bring in a new voice.
The Chargers played flawlessly in the first half of the game but had to rely on Herbert at the end to get them through. This is a huge win for the AFC West franchise as it will help them to build confidence and erase memories of blowing such types of leads in the past.
Harbaugh is bringing the best out of Herbert by making him do less, and so far, it has worked in their favor. The Chargers are now 7-3 on the season and are quite likely to make the playoffs. They will be a tough matchup for any team in the league, and all eyes will be on how they play against the Baltimore Ravens next week.
Bengals Have To Win Remainder of Games To Make the Playoffs
Getting to 10 wins should be able to help a team in the AFC make the postseason. Cincinnati has six games left to play this year and has to win all of them to have the best shot at making the playoffs.
The Bengals have a bye in Week 12 which will help them to regroup for the rest of the season, but winning six straight games will require a miracle. These are their remaining contests:
- Week 13: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Week 14: at Dallas Cowboys
- Week 15: at Tennessee Titans
- Week 16: vs. Cleveland Browns
- Week 17: vs. Denver Broncos
- Week 18: at Pittsburgh Steelers
A loss to the Steelers after their bye week will end the Bengals’ playoff hopes. As a result, Bengals players and coaches will have to figure a lot out during the bye week if they want to save their season.
Cincinnati’s defense is allowing 26.9 points per game, and once again, Burrow had to become Superman to give his team a chance of winning the game.
In the loss to the Chargers, he threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns, with Ja’Marr Chase catching two of those touchdowns.
Tee Higgins also had a solid game, as he finished with nine receptions for 148 yards and a touchdown. This could be Higgins’ last season with the Bengals, and if the team misses the playoffs, it would be a huge disappointment.