00:00All eyes for me are on Zach Taylor and this coaching staff because had they gotten a win in Pittsburgh
00:06and gotten a 3-0, it wouldn't feel like it feels now where this is a must win.
00:11You have to get a win going into the bye.
00:12You have to get that winning record back, getting to 3-2, and regardless of the circumstances, it doesn't matter.
00:19It doesn't matter if you have two receivers, five receivers, 17 receivers.
00:22You have to find a way to beat the Miami Dolphins who are already thinking about the 2027 NFL draft.
00:30And that's it here, is if you're the Bengals, did you or did you not trade for Dexter Lawrence?
00:35You did.
00:36Did you or did you not pay Brian Cook?
00:38Big-time money, $42-plus million over three seasons.
00:42Boye Mafe, $60 million contract over three seasons.
00:46You did all of those things.
00:46You brought in Jonathan Allen.
00:48You drafted Cassius Howell.
00:50To have a team that could win even when you're shorthanded, to have a team that could win and be
00:55a real contender,
00:56real contenders don't lose to the Miami Dolphins under any circumstances.
01:00Given the bye next week, can you imagine if this team loses on Sunday?
01:05Just the talk, the discussion, what I'll be saying on Monday morning, what we'll be saying here on First Word
01:09Monday morning?
01:11Well, the only answer, the only response, the only thing they can do is go win.
01:16And I think that's what we're going to learn about this Cincinnati Bengals team.
01:20If they don't have T. Higgins, if they don't have Jamar Chase, are they going to go out and put
01:24their best foot forward
01:25and beat a Miami Dolphins team that they should beat?
01:28They should beat Miami even if Joe Flacco plays quarterback on Sunday.
01:31They should beat Miami even if Dalton Reisner, who is playing through a knee issue, can't play on Sunday.
01:37This is a team that even if they're shorthanded like they were the other day, that is not an excuse.
01:42You have to go to Miami.
01:43You have to get a win.
01:45And Marissa mentioned it, a combined eight points in the Bengals' two losses.
01:49They lost by three, then they lose by five.
01:52And that's the other element here is Zach Taylor, his history.
01:55It's not year one or year two or year three.
01:58He's been here since 2019.
02:00And close losses, well, that's part of his resume.
02:04He is 24-39-1 in one-score games.
02:09Say that again, 24-39-1 in one-score games.
02:13Now, some of that occurred early in his career in 2019 and 2020 especially.
02:18But guess what?
02:19It hasn't gotten much better since then in the Joe Burrow era.
02:23And he's among the worst head coaches in the NFL dating back since 2019 in one-score games.
02:3224-39-1.
02:33That's 39th of 48 head coaches with at least 16 games coached since 2019.
02:39So there's that element of it for Zach Taylor.
02:42There's all of the moves the Bengals made to contend.
02:47Obviously, Joe Burrow expects to contend.
02:49And here's the other element that a lot of people are talking about.
02:51The run game.
02:52This is a week where an offensive-minded coach with a guy in Chase Brown who a lot of people
02:56think they should pay,
02:57with a veteran quarterback in Joe Burrow in an offensive line that has all of their starters from last season,
03:03should be able to run the ball.
03:04You should be able to run the ball against the Miami Dolphins and take pressure off of Joe Burrow
03:08and lean on that a bit more so Jamar Chase and T. Higgins aren't, if they're out,
03:14aren't the reason why your offense isn't moving the ball up and down the field.
03:18And so we're going to learn a lot about this team.
03:20We're going to learn a lot about Zach Taylor.
03:22And one thing is certain regardless.
03:24And I'm not saying, by the way, if they lose Sunday that Zach Taylor is going to be fired Monday.
03:27I'm not saying that.
03:28But there's very real pressure here.
03:30If you want to get back to the playoffs, if you want to contend,
03:32if you want to do all of those things, beating this Miami Dolphins team,
03:36whether or not Jamar Chase or T. Higgins or Brian Cook or Dalton Reisner or insert whoever else,
03:41B.J. Hill, is on the field, well, it is a must for Zach Taylor and company.
