CINCINNATI — To Zac Taylor, there’s still plenty to play for this season.
Yes, the Bengals were dismal on offense in a 16-10 loss to the Steelers. Joe Burrow had successful surgery Monday and the Jake Browning-led Bengals ran for precisely 25 yards on 11 carries, including just eight designed runs out of 37 opportunities.
Not that that is his Browning’s fault.
On the defensive side, the Steelers were able to play keep away and run 66 offensive snaps. They black and gold ran up 421 yards on the Bengals defense, the first time in 59 staggering games. Even more staggering, the Steelers outgained their opponent for the first time this season.
Mike Tomlin is the leader in the clubhouse for NFL coach of the year, taking a team with Kenny Pickett and a sputtering offense and leading them to a 7-4 record through 12 weeks.
But to the Bengals coach, all is not lost. To some fans it may be a sign of weakness and whistling past the graveyard. But inside the locker room and the building, his ability to stay positive and bring hope to an otherwise hopeless situation is why players love playing for him and the organization believes in him.
Of course, part of the coach’s job is to inspire when times are toughest. Any NFL coach accepts that responsibility when they take the job. But Taylor has shown time and again that he’s not going to play Debbie Downer. And more to the point, he’s going to have players’ backs when they get attacked from the outside, such as was the case with Logan Wilson last week.
Taylor has been through 2-14 and 4-11-1 in his first two seasons. He’s seen hopelessness. He doesn’t not see that in this version of the Bengals, even though they’re 5-6, without their franchise quarterback for the rest of the season and facing Jacksonville on the road next Monday night.
In other words, motivation is not hard to come by for Taylor.
“I have not found that to be difficult to do,” Taylor said. “These guys understand what’s still in front of them. There’s plenty of opportunity in front of us. This team has faced adversity before. This isn’t the first time. Part of what you appreciate about approaching December and being in a tough three-game stretch is you get a chance to learn way more about yourself and those around you than when you’re in a three-game winning streak. This team has proven to me time and time again as well as our coaching staff is they’re willing to fight through it and pull together and take ownership of the things they can control and maintain a positive attitude. We’ve still got a good team. I showed them the missed opportunities on third down on offense, the three points we’ve given up going into a minute left in the third quarter.
Zac Taylor explains why he's as "excited" as he's ever been to see the Bengals do something special in the final six games. pic.twitter.com/ohyF7Ols69
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) November 28, 2023
“There are some things we’ve just got to capitalize on to propel ourselves to victory. If we do that, there’s a much better feeling just because of four or five plays that go different (Sunday) as opposed to what the feeling is in the room now where you’ve lost a big game like that. I’m as excited as I’ve ever been to get this team to rally through this, and I know they are too. That’s why I always mention the character in the locker room. I sit in the team meeting and stare at the guys and feel really good about guys wanting to pull through this and making this a special season. Overcome this adversity. This is the time of year you can look around and see the character of teams. It shows loud and clear. I take a lot of pride in what this team shows inside and outside the locker room and the way they represent this organization and are willing to fight through it. That’s something we take pride in as we face great adversity and will continue to take pride in.”
What exactly would define a special season?
“Find wins. Find a way one week at a time,” Taylor answered. “What better opportunity than primetime Monday night to maybe change a narrative that’s occurred the last couple weeks because we haven’t been on winning side of things. What better opportunity to get ourselves back into it by finding a way to win on primetime with our backs against the wall a bit. Our guys take great pride in that, and you’ll see their best this week. Thinking about me makes me excited to take the field with these guys after four or five great days of work and find a way to get a win and change the narrative and find a way to keep playing meaningful football.”
DJ Reader with words of wisdom and leadership looking ahead to Trevor Lawrence and the Jags on Monday. pic.twitter.com/OOkZPLeQq3
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) November 27, 2023
Joe Burrow had his season-ending surgery Monday and the team issued a statement confirming the procedure.
“Joe Burrow underwent successful surgery on his wrist today. The procedure went as planned and he is expected to make a complete recovery. Joe will return to Cincinnati this week to be with the team and begin the recovery and rehab process.”
Taylor and the team did not release the name of the doctor or where the procedure was performed.
Zac Taylor indicated that he’s hopeful three key players dealing with injuries could be available Monday night in Jacksonville. Tee Higgins (hamstring), Cam Taylor-Britt (quad) and Logan Wilson (ankle). The Bengals could use all three to stand a chance against the AFC South leaders.
