Zac Taylor’s Play-Calling Slammed by Twitter as Bengals Rally to Knock Off Dolphins

The Cincinnati Bengals managed to defeat the Miami Dolphins 27-15 on Thursday Night Football, but it was in spite of head coach Zac Taylor’s ineptitude.

Cincinnati’s offense looked pedestrian for most of the game under Taylor’s play-calling. The Bengals didn’t attack through the air as much as they should’ve, attempting too many run plays against Miami’s stout front seven.

Joe Burrow led the way with 287 yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-31 passing. Cincinnati’s star receiver duo of Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase had solid games, but it felt like they had an opportunity to dominate the Dolphins’ depleted secondary. The Bengals were held to 66 yards on the ground on 31 attempts, with Joe Mixon accounting for 24 carries, 61 yards and a score.

NFL Twitter was not happy with Taylor’s approach to Thursday’s game, as it felt that he held back Cincinnati’s offense throughout the night because of his predicability:

The Bengals entered Thursday’s contest averaging 338.7 yards and 21.3 points per game. Those numbers are down from their 2021 averages of 361.5 yards and 27.1 points.

Taylor needs to do a better job of adjusting his game plan when something isn’t working. He attempted to run the ball too many times while Cincinnati had a clear advantage in the passing game.

Bengals fans will have to hope for a better showing from Taylor when the team returns to action in another prime-time matchup on Oct. 9 against the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens.