Zac Taylor sets the tone for Bengals coming off bye week
All the Cincinnati Bengals could do this past weekend was watch their division win. The Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns all won in Week 7, each putting more and more distance between them and the back-to-back reigning division champions. It's not an ideal place to be, but neither was the 1-3 start of […]
All the Cincinnati Bengals could do this past weekend was watch their division win. The Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns all won in Week 7, each putting more and more distance between them and the back-to-back reigning division champions.
It's not an ideal place to be, but neither was the 1-3 start of the season when the outlook was even bleaker. How does head coach Zac Taylor see it? The only way he can with the daunting San Francisco 49ers on tap.
"Everybody in the AFC is on our schedule at this point, and we just have to focus on San Francisco," Taylor said during Monday's presser. "I think that's the message we give to our guys: If we control we can control starting with San Fran and then taking one game at a time after that, everything you want's in front of you, so you don't need to worry about what everybody else is doing. I think that's the simplest message."
The reality of facing four NFC teams during the first seven games is having nine out of the last 10 against your own conference. Over half of the AFC is standing in the way of Cincinnati making a third straight trip to the postseason. That's not just apparent on their schedule, it's also the same deal with the conference standings.
Seven of the nine AFC teams ahead of the Bengals in the current playoff picture are also on their remaining schedule, including their four remaining AFC North showdowns. They need not ask for a chance to right their ship.
"That's the beauty of this league," Taylor said. "You've got a chance to control your own destiny."
The Bengals made their own luck last season by ripping off eight straight wins heading into the playoffs. A replication of that would be even more impressive as they find their backs against another wall.
Bengals lose despite not even playing in Week 7
Not an ideal off week for Cincinnati.
