Zac Taylor in public denial of reality regarding Bengals' most obvious flaw

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has one of the toughest gigs in the NFL. While the rest of the franchise's brain trust hides for the season and refuses to face the media, Taylor is taking all the critical volleys from local and national press alike.

Taylor is somewhat to blame for Joe Burrow's current injury situation. However, when you have an unserious front office and talent evaluation department, you can only do so much.

We're seeing that unfold in real time with regard to the Bengals' defense. At least when he's public-facing, though, Taylor appears to be denying what his head 

Zac Taylor can't give a straight answer on Bengals' tackling problems

This is a lose-lose situation for Zac Taylor. Cincinnati is fresh off a 34-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the season is effectively over thanks to a 3-7 record. Rather than taking a stand against how poor the Bengals' defense was at tackling 

"I understand some of it looks bad. You can't run from that. I can't say much more about it," Taylor said about the Bengals' bad tackling, per CLNSCincy.com's Mike Petraglia. Taylor also added that no personnel changes are necessary to improve the situation (h/t Chatterbox Sports).

Sounds like a dude who doesn't have any answers left to give. To be fair to Taylor, he's kept the offense more than afloat since Joe Flacco's arrival. He's done his best to put on a brave face and spin the discussion about his appalling defensive unit into something positive.

Back to my opening thesis of this subsection re: lose-lose situation. If Taylor admits defeat by firing defensive coordinator Al Golden or any of his assistants, it'll be a bad look for him, since he just pivoted off Lou Anarumo in Golden's post last season. However, throwing the defense under the bus could fracture the locker room and/or get de facto GM Duke Tobin in his feelings, causing strain amongst the Bengals' key leaders.

I've called for Tobin's job more than a couple times in this space. Doesn't seem owner Mike Brown is keen to pull the trigger on that.

That makes Taylor the inevitable fall guy. Whether it's this offseason or once his contract expires after 2026, short of a deep playoff run next season, Taylor is likely out in Cincinnati.

In my humble opinion, the way Taylor could help himself is just to be a bit more real. I'm not saying dodge accountability. Taylor frankly takes all the heat he deserves and a lot more. There's a reason Burrow has stuck by him in such unwavering fashion over the years.

At the same time, not making any changes to the coaching staff, nor showing more fire toward the culprits of the Bengals' horrendous defense, shouldn't be Taylor's approach.

I would love one of the boots on the ground types in Cincinnati to bring up the following point to Taylor's face.

You might've heard about the Cloudfare issues impacting multiple websites today. Rather than embedding the impactful visual aid of an X post from SI's Jay Morrison, I'll transcribe the grisly numbers below.

Most missed tackles in the NFL, 2025 season:

T1. Geno Stone, Cincinnati Bengals — 16
T1. Jordan Battle, Cincinnati Bengals — 16
T3. Demetrius Knight Jr. Cincinnati Bengals — 14

You're telling me no personnel changes are necessary? You're telling me there's not much more to say about it, Zac?

If you're going to go down in this lose-lose scenario, go down telling it like it is! This defense is terrible! They can't tackle to save their lives. And it's too bad, because the Bengals could've actually been something this season if they'd fielded a fringe-competent defense, rather than an unprecedentedly bad one.

New Orleans Saints are expected to play a game in Paris, and it could happen sooner rather than later

The NFL is expanding around the world. That is no secret, as they continue to look to expand and play in different markets. The New Orleans Saints may be involved in that process as soon as next season, too. They would receive the opportunity to play in a brand new location for the league.

Saints may play new international game in 2026

The Saints are expected to play a regular-season game in Paris, France in the near future. The game could happen as early as the 2026 regular season, according to Saints president Dennis Lauscha.

“You might hear in the next couple weeks that we might be having a game internationally, and that game may be in Paris. We have the rights to the country of France and Monaco, so that makes so much sense, we think. We’re really excited about that [possibility].” -- Lauscha via Jeff Duncan of nola.com.

The NFL won't be denied in its attempts to continue its expansion. They have already announced a plan to have a game in Australia during the 2026 season, and more additions are still to come most likely. Now, we know the Saints are probably involved in some capacity.

According to Pro Football Talk, the Saints had a group from the organization that included owner Gayle Benson and veteran linebacker DeMario Davis visit Paris in July. That was the first sign of a growing connection between the team and location that could lead to more down the road.

Keep an eye out for more specific updates about New Orleans' potential international games in the future.

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