Zac Taylor firing row: Bengals coach's brutal error vs Bears frustrates fans; Joe Flacco disappointed

Zac Taylor faced severe criticism after the Cincinnati Bengals' latest loss against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Zac Taylor faced severe criticism after the Cincinnati Bengals' latest loss against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The head coach, whose contract was extended through the 2026 season, made an unintentional but brutal error that handed Caleb Williams and co a massive advantage, ultimately resulting in a 42-47 loss for Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor speaks after his team's loss to the Chicago Bears (AP)

Challenge turns into Zac Taylor's nightmare

During the Week 9 game, a crucial challenge from head coach Taylor turned into a nightmare. The Bears were leading 34–27 and driving inside the red zone when wide receiver DJ Moore took a handoff and sprinted down the left sideline toward the end zone. Officials initially ruled him out of bounds at the 1-yard line, but it looked like Moore might’ve fumbled as he crossed the line.

Taylor threw his red challenge flag, hoping the replay would show a fumble through the end zone, which would have given Cincinnati the ball on a touchback. Instead, the review confirmed the opposite: Moore had actually broken the plane before losing control, resulting in a Chicago touchdown.

The ruling extended the Bears’ lead to 41–27 and dealt a significant blow to the Bengals’ comeback hopes. What could have been a defensive break instead widened the deficit.

To make matters worse for Cincinnati, Moore had already burned them earlier in the game. In the first quarter, he took a reverse near the goal line and threw a touchdown pass to a wide-open Caleb Williams.

The loss came even as QB Joe Flacco, filling in for Joe Burrow, had an exceptional game. He completed 31 of his 47 attempts for 470 yards and four touchdowns. He was visibly disappointed after Cincinnati's loss.

Fire Zac Taylor

Soon, Bengals fans demanded that the team fire Taylor. “Zac Taylor challenged a fumble only for it to be ruled a TD for the Bears 😭😭😭” one person wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

“Zac Taylor fired come Monday," another one added.

Zac Taylor contract details

Zac Taylor's contract extension with the Bengals runs through the 2026 season and was signed in February 2022. His reported annual salary is approximately $4.5 million, though the full details of the deal have not been released.