Before the Bengals even took a snap in training camp, Zac Taylor made sure nobody in the building could mistake the message.
On a board during a late-July team meeting, he wrote the Bengals’ 2025 record: 6-11.
That was a blunt reminder, and it landed. Even after an offseason that looked strong on the field and in the front office, Taylor pushed the point that last year wasn’t acceptable. A lot of the roster had changed, but plenty of the 2024 team remained, and that created the urgency that showed up all through the offseason and camp.
It carried straight into Week 1.
Cincinnati opened with a 33-27 win over the Buccaneers, and Taylor’s fingerprints were all over it. Tampa Bay had won five straight season openers before Sunday, the second-longest streak in the NFL behind the Philadelphia Eagles.
Baker Mayfield had already thrown nine touchdowns in Week 1 over his first three seasons with the Buccaneers. This time, the Bengals kept him out of the end zone.
They did more than that. Cincinnati became the first team since Week 16 of 2018 to score a scoop-and-score against Tampa Bay, snapped the Bucs’ five-game Week 1 winning streak, forced and recovered three Mayfield fumbles, and recovered a fourth Buccaneers fumble as well.
The Bengals’ defense, the unit that has taken plenty of heat over the last three years, was everywhere for all 60 minutes. They didn’t force a punt, but they forced four turnovers. That’s a trade any defense would take.
Al Golden’s group also got to Mayfield four times and held Tampa Bay to two field goals, including on a promising opening drive for the Buccaneers. The Bucs finished with just 282 total yards. Last season, Cincinnati held only two teams under 300 yards: the 5-12 Cleveland Browns and the 3-14 Arizona Cardinals.
Taylor had also challenged his coordinators before camp to use the talent the right way, and on Sunday the defense answered that call.
The offense did its part, too. Cincinnati punted only once.
After a three-and-out on its first possession, the Bengals scored on five of their next seven drives. One of those possessions was the kind of finish Taylor had been asking for after the preseason opener, when he said in the locker room that the team needed to improve its four-minute offense.
Against Tampa Bay, the Bengals did exactly that. They bled off the final 3:14 on offense, and they did it with some pop - most notably Joe Burrow’s strike to a leaping Tee Higgins over the middle - while facing only one third down, and that came when they were already in the red zone.
Evan McPherson also had a huge hand in the win. He was named a captain the Monday before the season, then backed it up by drilling four field goals, three of them in the second half.
Two came from at least 55 yards, including a 58-yarder to open the fourth quarter. Those two kicks were worth six points, and Cincinnati won by six.
McPherson was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 1.
Taylor’s role in all of it goes beyond the game plan. He called a strong game, had the locker room with him, held his assistants accountable, and looked like a coach who has shed some of the arrogance that may have come with earlier success.
That matters because the Bengals have been through a lot since reaching the Super Bowl in 2021 and 2022. Those runs may have left the organization feeling like it had arrived, only for two straight 9-8 seasons and another round of disappointment to follow. Then 2025 happened, and it humbled Taylor, the front office, Joe Burrow, and everyone else who lived through last season.
This offseason felt different because Taylor sounded different. More urgent.
More aware that the front office went all-in and that the message was clear: win now, or the future could change fast for the head coach. After Sunday’s win, Taylor handed Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin a game ball for his 200th win as a member of the Bengals, a gesture that pointed to the kind of alignment the organization has not had in a long time.
The Bengals are confident, but not cocky. That distinction matters.
In 2021 and 2022, confidence was part of the formula, but arrogance may have crept in later. This offseason looked like a reset, and Taylor seems to have steered it there.
For now, the players are following him. Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Dexter Lawrence are among those rallying around the tone he has set. The urgency is real, and so is the culture Taylor has built since arriving in Cincinnati.
In Other News...
Bengals May Have Found A Rookie Defensive Spark Already
For a defense that spent much of the offseason under scrutiny, the Bengals got an immediate jolt from a pair of rookies in their Week 1 win over Tampa Bay. Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. both played with the kind of urgency Cincinnati was hoping to see early, and their presence showed up in the kind of moments that can change a game, with the defense helping create four turnovers while holding the Buccaneers to 282 yards.
Zac Taylor was quick to note how confidently the two linebackers handled themselves and how much command they showed in the middle of the defense. For a team trying to stabilize that side of the ball, rookie contributions are one thing, but rookie contributions that translate into takeaways are another, and Cincinnati will be watching closely to see whether this opening-week spark can become something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Just Caught A Break Before A Tough Trip To Houston
Houston will be missing some of the familiar names that usually make it a difficult place to play, which gives Cincinnati a little extra breathing room heading into a road game that already carried plenty of weight. The Texans have ruled out wide receiver Nico Collins, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and starting guard Ed Ingram because of injuries, thinning out both sides of the ball as the Bengals prepare for another test away from home.
For Cincinnati, the timing matters because Joe Burrow was limited in practice with back tightness but is expected to play, keeping the offense on track for a trip that now looks a bit less daunting. Houston will have to sort out its lineup with Kayshon Boutte and Dalton Schultz expected to take on bigger roles, and the Bengals will be watching to see whether the absences up front and on the edge create an opening they can press early. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Rookie Cashius Howell Is Drawing The Kind Of Praise Fans Notice
Cashius Howell has already started to make a quiet impression in Cincinnati, and for a rookie trying to carve out a role on the defensive line, that matters. The Bengals edge rusher recently talked about how the jump from Bowling Green to Texas A&M was a major adjustment, which makes the move to the NFL feel like one more demanding step in a career built on climbing levels the hard way.
What stands out now is the early feedback from inside the locker room. Amarius Mims and Shemar Stewart have both offered favorable takes on Howells ability and work habits, the kind of praise that tends to travel quickly around a team and stick with fans who are watching for signs of which young players can help soon. For a Bengals defense looking to add more dependable pieces up front, Howells early reception is worth keeping an eye on. [Read more 🡒]