Stephen A. Smith calls for “investigation” into Zac Taylor as troubling pattern presents itself

Zac Taylor has historically received very little blowback. The coach arrived to a franchise that hadn't had a divisional-round appearance since 1990. However, he helped get the team to a Super Bowl. Even in 2023, with a backup quarterback playing for much of the year, Taylor managed to deliver a winning season.

However, a troubling pattern has emerged for the coach. Speaking on a Feb. 18 edition of "First Take," NFL analyst Stephen A. Smith spotlighted a brewing problem for the coach.

"Their problem is that in the Zac Taylor era, they start out 1-11, you know, to start the season. It's automatic that they're going to lose the first two games. They'll be in a hole to start the season. I think there needs to be an investigation (into) what Zac Taylor and his staff are doing in the offseason. Why the hell are you never ready to start the season?"

In 2024, the Bengals started 0-3 before ripping off a run to get over .500 at 9-8. In 2023, the team started 1-3. In their first seven games of the year between the two, Taylor is 1-6. Of course, October through December has been impressive, but September is a cause for concern.

Exploring potential cause of Zac Taylor's September struggles

Zac Taylor at Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers - Source: Imagn

The Cincinnati Bengals coach has a pattern that is worrying. However, the question is what the coach has been doing wrong to bring the team to this point. The answer for what went wrong in September might not be in that month.

Zac Taylor is a disciple of Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay. He notoriously lets his starters rest in the preseason, keeping them out of every preseason game.

While he doesn't go to the extreme of McVay, Taylor did keep Joe Burrow and many starters out for an extended period of the preseason.

In the case of Burrow, he threw just seven passes in the entire preseason. Those passes only came in the first preseason game, leaving him a month between then and Week 1. Matthew Stafford's Rams have a similar September issue. They started 1-3 in 2024 and hit their top gear later in the season.

That's enough time to let rust creep in. To avoid another slow start, the Cincinnati Bengals might want to take a bit more risk and get their starters on the field more, or at least closer to Week 1 of the regular season. Will Taylor's team manage to avoid another season with a slow start in 2025?

If any of the above quotes are used, credit "First Take," and H/T Sportskeeda.