Zac Taylor on Bengals' win Over Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals On SI

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00:00It's good to get a win.

00:01I think there was a lot of good things all the way around.

00:04Still things we're gonna have to clean up.

00:05We could have capitalized on them in the second half.

00:07But I thought that there was really good team football there with

00:12defense getting stops, great field position off the punts.

00:15And offense capitalizing and then vice versa.

00:18So I thought that there was really just good complimentary football there

00:20over the course of the game.

00:21Are you surprised it was as close as it was given how you got looked early?

00:23I think we had our opportunities to knock it open, and that's what we missed.

00:27And that's on all of us, quite frankly.

00:29There's things I can do better there to help us do that.

00:31But there's some opportunities there to knock it wide open and

00:34make that a true three score game.

00:35And let our defense pin their ears back and tee off.

00:38And so there's certainly some room to grow.

00:41And you got the double dip there at the end of the half,

00:43stat in the second half.

00:45How about that swing pass at the end of the half?

00:47Hold your breath, hold your breath.

00:49It's great when it works, it's great when it works.

00:51And he can see it better than we can from the sidelines, obviously,

00:54where that was.

00:55And felt like, obviously, Zach had an opportunity to get in there.

00:57So happy when it works.

00:59Is that the call, or is that just-

01:02That's just part of the progression there.

01:04So again, you're scheming up plays for normal situations.

01:07You're not scheming up with six seconds left in the half,

01:10which is about the greatest area you can get to.

01:12Six seconds left, ball gets tipped up in the air, and the clock runs out.

01:17So it worked out for us.

01:19How badly did you guys need that goal line stop in the first quarter?

01:22It just gave us a lot of confidence on defense to get the stop.

01:26Obviously, it would've been awesome if we could've found a way to go 99 and score.

01:30I think that ball got tipped on third down.

01:31That was kind of our first non-third down conversion for

01:34a long part of the game there.

01:36But we certainly had the confidence that we were gonna get points on that drive,

01:39had that worked out, and it didn't.

01:42But again, this is what I just talked to the team about.

01:44We had a great punt.

01:46Defense got the ball back for us, and offense went down and scored.

01:49They got the turnover, and the offense went down and scored.

01:52So that's the confidentiality football we've been looking for

01:55that really showed up in a big way there.

01:57With defense getting a goal line stop, offense getting us out of there,

01:59great punt, turnover, touchdown, and that's the way it needs to be for us.

02:03Can you give us a little bit of explanation of the plan at cornerback?

02:07I mean, we haven't seen you guys rotate like you did.

02:09Was that the plan coming in?

02:09Some of it's in game.

02:11Some of it's in game.

02:12This is the game evolves.

02:14I think overall, DJ Turner has really practiced well, and

02:18very limited opportunities done well.

02:21He had to pick against Kansas City, that got called back.

02:24So sometimes it's just about guys deserving an opportunity,

02:27not so much about what's happening with other guys.

02:29It's more so about DJ focusing and doing things the right way, and

02:33finding a way just to get himself on the field.

02:36And I think that's what DJ has done for us.

02:37When the defense is allowed a clearance, how important is it for

02:40the offense, for Burrow, for everyone to stay aggressive, to keep pushing the ball,

02:44and keep playing with that mindset?

02:46The first half was a strange one,

02:47because the first three possessions we had were backed up, red zone.

02:53And then we scored in four plays on the third down.

02:55So the defense was out there, obviously getting a lot of normal snaps.

02:59Offensively, looking at the normal play call sheet, there was nothing called.

03:03And then I think our fourth possession was two minutes.

03:05So you kind of go into halftime with your whole plan, and

03:08you haven't really gotten a chance to call yet.

03:10And so just kind of a strange way that that unfolded.

03:13And I was happy we had 21 points there.

03:15I thought the offense executed the situation we were in.

03:18During the four TDs in a row there, what opened up for you guys?

03:22Did something start to click for you guys offensively?

03:25No, I mean, it's hard.

03:27I count the first drive.

03:28The ball got tipped on what was gonna be a conversion there on that third down.

03:32So I felt like we were moving the ball well.

03:34I think it was the third and fourth that got tipped.

03:35So we had a lot of confidence.

03:37We had a lot of confidence coming out of last week,

03:38had a lot of confidence coming out of Kansas City.

03:40So I think there's a lot of confidence and expectation to score.

03:45Obviously, there's some things I could have done better to help us there in

03:48the second half.

03:49How much encouragement do you draw from not just moving the ball and scoring, but

03:53so many guys made explosive plays for you?

03:56It was really spreading it across everybody.

03:58I mean, that has to be something you feel like you can really build on.

04:00It is, and there's certainly plays we're trying to target key guys.

04:04And then if they take them away with whatever they're doing,

04:08Joe progresses and finds it to so many people that can make plays for us.

04:12I can think of about every guy that was in that game that made critical plays for

04:15us in big moments.

04:16I'm not gonna start listing them cuz I'll forget somebody, but

04:19I just think it's, we got a lot of good pieces over there.

04:22And the line is playing their tails off right now, giving him great protection.

04:25So he feels like he can sit back there, he can call anything.

04:28And the run game, obviously, is starting to take off, and

04:30there's a lot of confidence there as well.

04:31The 130 yards on the ground in that second half,

04:34how much do you love the combination now of Zach and Chase?

04:37Just running the game out, the ability to do that.

04:38Outstanding, I think they complement each other really well.

04:42They can really do all the runs we have.

04:45I think the line and the tight ends are doing an excellent job.

04:47The receivers are completely bought in on the perimeter.

04:50And so, again, I just think those guys are all playing with a lot of great rhythm

04:54right now and a lot of confidence in the running game.

04:56Can you give us a little more update on what happened with Drain and some of it?

04:59I think it's a stinger, so we'll find out more about that tomorrow.

05:01What did you think of Jamar Chase's touchdown play?

05:04I mean, that's what he's capable of.

05:05And when you can just throw a simple backside in breaker,

05:09I believe they were clouding him on that play, if I'm remembering correctly.

05:13And Joe had all day to let him clear the window and

05:17really get to the backside of the progression.

05:18And then for Jamar to, again, I haven't seen it live, but to break all those

05:22tackles and have the contact balance that he has.

05:24It's contact balance and then explosiveness,

05:26which is so difficult to put all together in one snap.

05:29And so that's what Jamar did.

05:30He starts on the backside of the play, runs an in breaker, great catch,

05:34great, great tackle breaking ability, great acceleration to go finish the run

05:38down the field, enough energy to sprint back to the sidelines.

05:41So that just speaks to who Jamar is.

05:43How big of a punt, you had a big play from Anthony, it looked like.

05:47Yeah, great job.

05:48I mean, I've seen Johnny Hecker throw a lot of passes in my life, and so

05:52it's always up, it's something we talked about quite a bit.

05:55I told him in pregame, no passes today, and he didn't really give me information

06:00one way or the other on what was gonna happen, but that's a great job.

06:03That was a key play and a key moment to get over there and

06:06get your hand on the ball and make sure that ball gets out.

06:08Rico had a huge punt in the fourth quarter that really,

06:11that's what you've been looking for from your punting team for

06:14a long time now, to get that in that moment, how big was that?

06:18Yeah, he stepped up big.

06:19I thought the coverage units were really good, too.

06:21To be able to get down there, particularly the gunners, and

06:23go cover those punts, that's pinning them down there and

06:28allowing us to capitalize on our next possession, so that's a big weapon to have.

06:32Four games in, are you pleased with where your passing game is?

06:35Is he in it right now?

06:36There's always things to continue to fine tune.

06:38I think the bottom line is we have a lot of confidence in really calling everything

06:41off the call sheet, and that's in all areas of the game, and

06:45especially when you're running the ball like you are, it opens things up.

06:49And so, again, there's just a lot of confidence there.

06:51Do you think this is the best run of the ball since you've been here?

06:55That's four games in, that's hard for me to go that far, but

06:58I'm pleased with the progress we're making.

07:01Does this feel like a sigh of relief to you and the team?

07:04No, I mean, we know what this feeling is to win games, and

07:07that was the expectation every time I walked off the field.

07:09I expected to come away victorious, and it's just good to check that box.

07:14I think it's as simple as that.

07:15You check the box, and now you move on.

07:17And we've got a great divisional game at home, and so

07:20a chance to really capitalize on some key momentum here.

07:23And so, again, it's gonna be a tough test for us.

07:25They're a tremendous team.

07:26We've had some great battles over the year, and

07:28I know our guys are excited to get back at it.

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