Zac Taylor Named Among Five NFL Head Coaches on Hot Seat

CINCINNATI — Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer assessed the NFL coaching landscape this week and landed on Zac Taylor as a coach on the hot seat.

He put his hot-seat meter at a 4/10 in his first time getting included on the list this season. Taylor's decision to fire Lou Anarumo as the Bengals' defensive coordinator has clearly not worked out.

"The Bengals were 3–4 and coming off a win over the Steelers," Breer wrote. "They had momentum and a pair of home games against the Jets and Bears coming up. The playoffs were possible. Then, Cincinnati allowed more than 500 yards to both New York and Chicago, giving up 86 combined points in a pair of losses despite racking up 893 yards and 80 points on offense. While the season-ending toe injury to Joe Burrow is an excuse for why the Bengals are likely to miss the playoffs for the fifth time in seven years under Taylor, at some point, the issues are overwhelming.

"Taylor’s decision to fire longtime defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo looks more inexcusable by the day. Anarumo now oversees the Colts’ defense, which has helped Indianapolis to first place in the AFC South. Meanwhile, Cincinnati’s defense is dead last in points and yards allowed under Al Golden. Considering Marvin Lewis lasted 16 years without a playoff win, it’s unlikely Taylor will be fired. But it has to be considered."

Taylor didn't make any staff changes midseason, and his crew just got a full week break assessing the low-hanging fruit on defense to try and start snatching it against Pittsburgh.

Cincinnati's offense has stayed afloat without Joe Burrow; now it's up to the league-worst defense to show some kind of life to give him even more reason to return in full force this season.

Taylor's next chance to turn this season around comes on Sunday against Pittsburgh.

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and watch the video below as part of our in-depth coverage of the team. Prefer to listen? Check out Cincinnati Bengals Talk on Apple, Spotify, and Amazon Podcasts.

Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, insight, film breakdowns and so much more!

Also, check out the podcast, Locked On Bengals, wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple: bit.ly/BengalsApple

Spotify: bit.ly/BengalsSpotify

YouTube: bit.ly/LOBengalsYouTube

-----

Follow us on X: @BengalsTalkSI

Like Our Facebook Page

Follow on TikTok