After two weeks, the AFC North’s coaching pecking order already has some sharp edges.
Zac Taylor sits on top, Todd Monken has climbed into second, Jesse Minter lands third, and Mike McCarthy is bringing up the rear after Pittsburgh’s 20-3 loss in New England. It’s still early enough for the whole thing to flip in a week, but right now the rankings say plenty about who is handling the moment best.
Taylor’s Bengals are the division’s only 2-0 team, and they’ve done it without needing everything to go perfectly on offense. In Houston, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase hooked up for two touchdowns in a 20-6 win, while Evan McPherson knocked through field goals from 51 and 57 yards. Cincinnati’s defense kept the Texans out of the end zone, and the Bengals won the snaps that mattered most.
That doesn’t mean Taylor can relax. Houston still sacked Burrow five times and moved the ball between the 20s.
Cincinnati got away with it because the defense tightened near the goal line, the kicking game held up, and Burrow finished off two scoring chances with Chase. The Bengals have multiple paths to a win, but taking that many hits up front can’t become part of the formula.
Monken’s Browns check in next after a road comeback in Tampa. Cleveland trailed 16-6 in the third quarter and wasn’t getting much from the run game, so Monken sped things up. Deshaun Watson threw touchdown passes to Denzel Boston and Blake Whiteheart over the final 16-plus minutes, and the winning drive leaned on no-huddle concepts while surviving four third-down tries.
Then the defense closed it out under strange circumstances. Tampa Bay had the ball at Cleveland’s 28-yard line when lightning brought a delay that lasted more than two hours. The Browns still found a way to finish the job after falling behind, changing pace, and taking control late.
Minter’s first home game as Baltimore’s first-year head coach ended in a 24-17 loss to New Orleans, and the second-half collapse dragged him down to third. The Ravens led 14-3 late in the second quarter, then managed only three points after halftime. Tyler Shough completed 27 of 34 passes, tied the game through the air, and then directed the winning touchdown drive.
The defense didn’t help itself once things tightened. New Orleans converted both of its fourth-down tries, including fourth-and-goal on the decisive drive. Baltimore still has to finish drives and clean up its third-down defense after halftime.
McCarthy is stuck in fourth, and not just because Pittsburgh lost by 17. He saw the offense’s problems coming and still went into the game with too much on the menu.
The Steelers were held to 235 total yards, went 2-for-12 on third down, and never looked close to finding a rhythm. Rodgers averaged 4.8 yards per attempt, took four sacks, and lost a fumble that turned into a Patriots touchdown. Pittsburgh’s defense forced two turnovers and allowed only 13 offensive points, but the offense never came close to carrying its weight.
McCarthy said after the game that practice had already shown the offense was carrying more material than the players could execute cleanly. He noticed the lack of detail during the week, but the plan stayed intact anyway. That’s changing now.
That issue goes beyond how many plays are on the call sheet. It’s about protections, route adjustments, motion responsibilities, personnel groupings, and the quarterback’s answers when pressure shows up.
Rodgers can handle a big workload. The problem is when the other 10 players aren’t seeing it the same way.
Pittsburgh had trouble handling stunts, identifying extra rushers, and giving Rodgers enough time for deeper routes. Too many snaps ended with Rodgers taking a hit.
Michael Pittman Jr.’s foot injury knocked out the receiver who led Pittsburgh in Week 1, and Germie Bernard stepped into a larger role. Bernard led the Steelers with 35 receiving yards in his second NFL game, which is a tough spot for a rookie in an offense that isn’t functioning smoothly.
Spencer Anderson’s missed stunt on the fourth-quarter strip-sack made the right guard spot an obvious place for change. Brock Hoffman replaced Anderson late and should be in the conversation for Cincinnati.
McCarthy has the Super Bowl ring and the track record to bounce back, but that only buys so much patience when the problem was obvious before kickoff. The other AFC North coaches may have issues, but none spent Sunday watching a flaw they’d already identified unravel their offense.
And that sets up an immediate test in Week 3, when Cincinnati visits Pittsburgh. Taylor has to clean up a protection unit that just allowed five sacks before facing T.J.
Watt and Alex Highsmith. McCarthy has to show that a lighter offensive menu can actually produce sustained drives.
The Bengals’ line gives Pittsburgh’s defense a real chance to take control. Pittsburgh’s offense just has to stay on the field long enough to use it.
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