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By Tyler Erzberger
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Two weeks ago, Zac Taylor was one of four head coaches in the AFC North facing the possibility of his exit after another disappointing year without making the playoffs.
Now, on Tuesday, he looks to his left and sees that Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has been fired.
He looks to his right to the dependable, steady Baltimore Ravens, and they've also fired their head coach, John Harbaugh, after almost two decades of excellence.
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Taylor then looks behind him at the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that has had only three head coaches since the moon landing, and sees that Mike Tomlin has stepped down.
He's all alone.
Zac Taylor is the only head coach left standing in the AFC North, and he finished in third place in the division.
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While Taylor's job appears to be safe for the upcoming offseason, the fire is now fully lit beneath his seat as the Bengals approach a do-or-die season following a series of frustrating seasons without any playoff appearances.
After making the Super Bowl in 2021, Taylor and superstar quarterback Joe Burrow seemed primed to become the next coach-QB duo to run the AFC, but it hasn't happened.
Burrow has been injured consistently, Taylor's coaching has been maligned, and the team's defense has been a travesty. As the 2025 season went along, Burrow's temperament went from calm and confident to sullen and moody, with questions surrounding how much longer he'd stay in Cincy before asking out.
Teammates, coaches, and brain trust have done their best to fan the flames, saying Burrow is happy where he is and that there's no way he'll be traded, but that hasn't stopped rumors and buzz from continuing even after the Bengals took their final snap of the campaign.
Heading into the offseason, this is anticipated to be the most important one for the Bengals since reaching that Super Bowl so many years ago. Burrow has remained steadfast in his ultimate goal of winning a Lombardi trophy, and if the Bengals can't even get him to the dance, all bets are off.
For right now, Zac Taylor is the final head coach left standing in the AFC North.
But that doesn't mean he's the winner. It just means he's the upright, for now.
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