von Daniel Kugler
Thousands of tickets have already been sold ahead of the possible AFC crown final between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs. As we now know, in vain.
Because the Cincinnati Bengals humorlessly gave the spoilsport last week and completely upset the plans of the organizers and fans. Much to the delight of head coach Zac Taylor, who is now about to head into the AFC Championship Game with the Chiefs in Arrowhead (live on ProSieben and ran.de during the night from Sunday to Monday from 0:20 a.m.).
“It’s difficult because they (the decision makers of the NFL, Anm. d. Red.) have to work out plans for coin tosses and for games at neutral venues and we keep screwing it up for everyone,” a joking Taylor was quoted as saying by NFL insider Ian Rapoport, “I hate that we’re doing it for the people who having to endure all the logistical problems, keep screwing up.”
sarcasm off. But the good mood remains.
Because the Bengals continue to have a good laugh. And they want to continue their run against the Chiefs, after all, the second Super Bowl participation in a row is within reach.
With his style and work ethic, Coach Taylor is emblematic of the complete turnaround at the Bengals and the success that began within just a few years.
Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor orchestrated the rebuild at breakneck speed
The team’s performance since Taylor took over as head coach in 2019 has – without exaggeration – been unparalleled.
However, the task could hardly have been greater for the 39-year-old today. Taylor’s start to his career as head coach in the NFL was anything but easy.
What Taylor found: a team that hardly seemed to know the word playoffs and felt that there was no end to the construction sites.
After Taylor had a fierce 6-25 record in his first two years with the Bengals, the young coach then ignited the turbo.
The right lessons were learned, the roster was rebuilt bit by bit according to the coach’s wishes – of course also thanks to the high draft picks as a result of the plague years before. But even early draft picks are no guarantee for the stars of tomorrow.
Two more seasons later, Taylor already has a 28-36-1 regular-season record with the Bengals. In the playoffs, only the Los Angeles Rams left the field as winners against the Taylor-Bengals in last year’s Super Bowl.
And with the one flaw in the coach’s postseason career, which has just begun, it should stay as long as possible.
Cincinnati Bengals: Second participation in the Super Bowl in a row beckons
The Bengals are taking everything as it comes these days and it feels like they grow a little further with every new task. There was no sign of disadvantages such as the game being abandoned when leading against Buffalo in Week 17 after Bills-Safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest.
But on the contrary. The denied chance to secure home field advantage over the entire playoffs due to force majeure became more and more of an incentive for the team.
“Whether we’re playing at home or away, we’re going to be consistent, follow our routine and be ready to step onto the field. I have the same feeling when we’re playing at home or away. The lads probably feel the same way “, explained the coach.
Or to put it bluntly: Just tell the Bengals the time and place, and then “Let’s go”.
Because one thing should now be clear to everyone when analyzing this team: “When the boys are on the field, they are ready to attack,” Taylor summed up.
The team oozes confidence without being overbearing.
“Better send out the refunds,” answered quarterback Joe Burrow boldly to the reporter’s first question about the Bills’ never really endangered and unexpectedly clear 27:10 win in the divisional round.
Perhaps that full-bodied statement was aimed squarely at the Chiefs and their fans, who may have already purchased plenty of tickets to Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona.
At the end of the day, the truth is out there, the winner is right and sets the tone. At the moment it’s very often the Bengals – with the emphasis on the plural. Not just a few individual big cats that lift the load.
Cincinnati Bengals: The star is the team mentality monster
When asked about the mentality and attitude of his team, Taylor couldn’t stop raving about it in an interview before the crackdown against the Chiefs in front of his own club media.
“They want to go the hardest way. Whatever I can give them to let them know we’re on a tough road, I’ll give it because that’s what they respond best to. When it comes to high stakes, see I have good chances for our team because they have the right attitude every day when they enter the building,” he said.
More praise from the coach is hardly possible. The collective towers over everything in Cincinnati, even if the team is exquisitely staffed at the top with stars like Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
Accordingly, little or nothing in the direction of egotism and going it alone can be heard in and around the franchise. And it is precisely these values that Coach Taylor lives by day after day.
Players enjoy the rewards of hard work over the months and years, but collectively express humility and gratitude for exemplary guidance from their coach.
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow with declaration of love to coach Zac Taylor
“I think we have one of the best front offices in the league and I think Zac is the best head coach in the league and that gives me a lot of confidence,” enthused Playmaker Burrow before the start of the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens.
And even if the Bengals should end the season without a ring like last year, they enjoy the here and now in the obviously outstanding team and the unprecedented togetherness in Cincinnati in every single second. And we want to keep it that way for as long as possible in the future.
“My plan is to be here my whole career and hopefully Zac will be here my whole career too. And hopefully a lot of our guys will be with me for as long as possible,” Burrow continued.
A gigantic praise from the captain on the field to his own troops and to the boss on the sidelines. In principle, such self-confident statements are easier for the Bengals than many of their competitors. Because elsewhere the title window will end in the foreseeable future or already after this season – Buffalo says hello.
The Bengals, on the other hand, may be the team of the hour, sorry San Francisco 49ers. And Cincinnati wants to continue to be at the top of the mountain.
Or, to put it in the words of “Joey B”, “My whole career is the title window.”