Zac Taylor liked what he saw from his Bengals in Madrid.
A day after Cincinnati’s Week 9 win over the Atlanta Falcons at Bernabéu Stadium, the head coach said the overseas trip went about as well as he could have hoped, both on and off the field. Taylor said he checked in with players throughout the trip to gauge how they were handling everything physically and mentally, and he adjusted the schedule along the way.
“(I) tried to have that feedback with the players as we went to get their opinion as they were going through it physically and mentally and really felt good,” Taylor said. “And we changed some things, you know, Saturday and Sunday morning from what I had originally scheduled just based off the feel of how things were going from a meeting standpoint.”
He said the group responded well to the changes.
“I thought the players handled all those changes really well,” Taylor added. “And again, I thought I would do it very similarly the next time we travel.”
Taylor also made it clear he wanted the trip to be more than just another business assignment. The game mattered, but he wanted his team to take in the setting too.
“It’s a game that counts like all the others, but I did want them to enjoy the experience, and I think that they did,” Taylor said. “I think when we got done with meetings, they got a chance to really get around and experience the culture, take it in, and they handled it in an extremely mature way.
We didn’t have any issues in meetings or practices or anything like that. So, (I’m) not surprised, but also still proud of the way that they handled the trip and got a chance to experience Madrid.”
For Taylor, the best sign of a successful road trip came after the final whistle.
“From everything I could see, I felt great about it,” Taylor said. “It seemed like they spent a lot of time together outside the hotel.
My favorite part of winning a game like that in the long travel is the plane (flight), just the volume on the plane, the camaraderie on the plane. That’s generally when you know it’s been a good day, a good trip, and I certainly felt that last night.”
He said watching the players move through the cabin after a win tells him plenty about the mood of the team.
“I’m sitting in my seat and I’m watching all the players come by and the attitude they have, and they’re joking with their teammates and telling stories about the week or telling stories about the game,” Taylor continued. “That is probably my favorite part of any of the road experiences we have, when we win a game.”
Quarterback Joe Burrow also had his own postgame wish list. After the win, he told reporters he’d love to play in the first NFL game in Tokyo.
Burrow said that matchup would probably need to happen in Week 1 of the season.
In Other News...
Falcons Get Caught In The NFLs Strangest Madrid Moment
Sundays trip to Madrid turned into more than just another international showcase for the Bengals, with a brief power outage at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium creating one of the stranger moments of the NFL season. The stadium went dark late in the fourth quarter during Cincinnatis game against the Falcons, interrupting the flow of a matchup that had already tilted the Bengals way.
When the lights came back on shortly after, the game resumed under unusual circumstances, and NFL officials had to sort out what happened during the blackout. Cincinnati kept control from there and held on to improve its season record, but the oddest part of the afternoon may be the play that vanished into the darkness and the confusion that followed. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Defensive Progress Could Decide Where Al Golden Ends Up
As the Bengals get ready for their game against the Falcons in Madrid, there is still a larger coaching subplot hanging over the trip. Al Golden, who has been Cincinnatis defensive coordinator since 2025, remains a familiar name in college circles because of his previous run at Notre Dame, and his future in the NFL is not exactly settled. The defense has shown some improvement, which is at least a step in the right direction for a unit that has spent much of the season fighting to find its footing.
Goldens progress in Cincinnati may end up mattering well beyond this season, because it could shape whether he keeps building here or becomes a candidate for other opportunities. His name still carries weight at Notre Dame, and with the Bengals trying to stabilize a defense that has been under plenty of scrutiny, every week seems to add another layer to the question of where he lands next. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Burrow Is Carrying The Bengals Into A Massive Steelers Test
Joe Burrow kept rolling in Week 9, and the Bengals kept pace in the AFC with a convincing win over Atlanta that pushed them to 6-2. Cincinnati looked sharp on offense throughout the afternoon, with Burrow once again steering the attack efficiently and reminding the league why the Bengals have stayed in the thick of the conference race.
Now the focus shifts to Pittsburgh, where a much bigger test awaits next week. Burrows recent form has him sitting atop the MVP conversation, and the Bengals will need that same level of command against a Steelers team that is always eager to turn these matchups into a grind. For Cincinnati, the question is no longer whether Burrow is playing at a high level. It is how far he can carry them when the stakes rise again. [Read more 🡒]