Zac Taylor Named Among Five NFL Coaches On The Hot Seat

Things are spiraling early in the season for Cincinnati.

Oct 5, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor stands on the sidelines during the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are flailing without Joe Burrow's services this season, and it's pushing Zac Taylor onto the hot seat in the eyes of Sports Illustrated's Matt Verdarame.

He placed Taylor's hot seat meter at a 5/10 amidst Cincinnati's three-game losing streak.

"It’s hard to know what the Bengals are going to do with Taylor after this season," Verdarame wrote. "Assuming Cincinnati misses the playoffs after the loss of Joe Burrow to turf toe, the Bengals will have missed out on the postseason in five of their seven seasons under Taylor, including six with Burrow. Still, Taylor helped guide the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021 before leading them to the AFC title game the following year. 

"The case is there to think Cincinnati will keep Taylor. This is the same franchise that allowed Marvin Lewis to serve as coach for 17 seasons, despite never winning a playoff game. Taylor also has enjoyed success, and Burrow’s injury might be enough for owner Mike Brown to give him a pass if this season goes sideways.  Taylor is also 48–55–1, and while Burrow has endured three significant injuries, it’s the coach’s job to win games. The Bengals have struggled to do anything consistently on defense throughout Taylor’s tenure, despite multiple coordinators, and the offense relying on Burrow throwing to Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and little else. If the Bengals retain Taylor, it’s defensible. If not, the same is true." 

Taylor has had a long time to find consistency in Cincinnati, and it just hasn't happened. He has one year remaining on his contract after this season as Cincinnati tries to stay afloat in the AFC playoff race.

They are widely expected to lose at Green Bay this weekend and enter that game with a 9.2% chance to make the playoffs on ESPN's FPI. That is the lowest percentage of any 2-3 team.

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