Bengals head coach Zac Taylor will remain the team's offensive play-caller despite recent struggles.
While Zac Taylor left the door open for a change at quarterback after a 37-24 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Cincinnati Bengals head coach will remain in his role as the team's offensive play-caller.
"I'm still going to retain that moving forward," Taylor told reporters in a press conference Oct. 6 at Paycor Stadium.
Taylor said he relies on the offensive staff around him as much as any play-caller in the league. He credited quarterbacks coach Brad Kragthorpe for suggesting the double-move that freed Ja'Marr Chase for a 64-yard touchdown against Detroit.
"There's a ton of input there, and those guys do an outstanding job adjusting as the game goes, giving me the information I need," Taylor said. "I feel very comfortable. It's a fair question. We score three points in three games in the first half. I totally understand that. But right now, it's going to remain the same."
After the loss, Chase addressed the offensive struggles by saying, "I just think it's a tough task when everybody knows what we're doing."
On Monday, Taylor was asked if he thinks the offense has become too predictable.
"I don't believe so," he said.
Taylor says offensive improvement begins with getting top playmakers the ball
After 19 consecutive drives without finding the endzone, the Bengals ripped off three-straight touchdown drives in the fourth quarter against Detroit.
While neither Taylor nor quarterback Jake Browning took any positives away from the 21-point fourth quarter immediately after the loss, the Bengals fed one of the league's top receiving duos to ultimately reach paydirt.
Chase finished with six catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Tee Higgins caught a touchdown with 3:01 remaining to cut the Detroit lead to 35-24, and WR3 Andrei Iosivas had a career-high 82 yards on five grabs.
"Finding more opportunities for our playmakers to get the ball and finding ways to get them easy touches that can lead to productivity in our offense," Taylor said about improving his play-calling. "I know that we've got to get more productivity, and that's more opportunity from a lot of our key guys on offense to be able to get the ball in the endzone."
One playmaker who hasn't seen a lot of easy touches is third-year running back Chase Brown, who is averaging just 2.5 yards per carry. Against the Lions, Browning was the team's leading rusher (31 yards) while Samaje Perine finished with the same number of yards (27) as Brown on four fewer attempts.
Brown has run 28 times for 70 yards over the Bengals' three-game losing streak and is averaging just 51 scrimmage yards per game this season.
"We've got to find ways to maximize both of their strengths and find a way to get more out of our run game," Taylor said. "There's some opportunity there, and I have to find a way to lean into that and give those guys more opportunity."
Running the ball efficiently for the first time all season seems like a tall task in Week 6 as the Bengals make the trip to Lambeau Field. The Packers currently rank No. 2 in the NFL (and best in the NFC) in rushing defense, giving up just 77.5 yards per game.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Zac Taylor says he'll retain play-calling duties for Bengals
Category: Football
