AFC Championship - Cincinnati Bengals v Kansas City Chiefs Kevin C. Cox/GettyImages

Zac Taylor is taking a page out of Andy Reid’s playbook at last

Originally posted on Arrowhead Addict | By Matt Conner | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 10:56 AM ET

Zac Taylor sounds tired of losing.

That's not a reference to being in the same conference as the Kansas City Chiefs, although Andy Reid's presence certainly plays a big part there. Rather, Taylor, the Cincinnati Bengals head coach, is finally amenable to make some logical changes that might just help his team become better prepared to start a season.

By now, the Bengals' annual stumbling out of the gate to start the regular season is a beloved tradition. Taylor's career record during the first two weeks of a regular season is 1-11. Yes, 1-11. And that's for a team that expects to make playoff appearances each and every season. Hell, they even made a Super Bowl with Taylor at the helm.

Zac Taylor is hoping the Bengals won't stumble out of the gate in 2025.

While the Bengals have a penchant for putting things together when they need to (2024 notwithstanding), the truth is that they've also shot themselves in the foot with their lack of preseason prep. In order to stay healthy, Taylor has often kept his best players from getting any real reps in exhibitions.

It sounds as if Taylor's overly precautionary days are now behind him. NFL reporter Ian Rapoport has word that Taylor is planning on letting Joe Burrow and his high-powered offense get some competitive reps in during the team's preseason game, starting with Thursday's opening game against the Washington Commanders.

#Bengals coach Zac Taylor tells reporters that QB Joe Burrow and other big name players will play several series on Thursday night and more in game two against the #Commanders. New way of doing it, with eyes on starting fast.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 5, 2025

While the Chiefs feature a loaded roster, it's the preparation by a legendary coach in Andy Reid that has his team so ready to play when it's time. The Chiefs will be absolutely ready to go in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers, even in Brazil, and no one will even question that much because of Reid's record of success.

The Chiefs have an annual leg-up on the rest of the AFC West, and they've often coasted to division titles in recent years after jumping out to a healthy lead on their rivals by taking care of business early in September.

The bad news for Taylor is that allowing his players to be more ready still does nothing to address the lack of proven defensive talent on the roster. Bengals games will at least be entertaining with expected shootouts each week. Maybe that will even start in Week 1 this year instead of waiting until they're behind in the standings.

This article first appeared on Arrowhead Addict and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: