NFL Power Rankings 2019: Raiders have helmet issues, Browns hype grows

31. Cincinnati Bengals (29)

Following 16 seasons with Marvin Lewis as the head coach, the Cincinnati Bengals went in a different direction as Lewis and the team split. They then went with Zac Taylor, who spent the past couple of seasons as an assistant with the Los Angeles Rams. The 36-year-old had quite the rise as he went from assistant wide receivers coach in 2017 to quarterbacks coach in 2018 and head coach of an NFL team this year.

Clearly, the thought process for Cincinnati was that Taylor’s experience as a quarterback coach could help him get Andy Dalton back on track — or maybe help them groom an eventual replacement. Dalton has had some success in the NFL but he hasn’t seen as much in recent seasons — and has never won a playoff game.

The Bengals also turned the corner on some unnecessary drama as they let go of linebacker Vontaze Burfict after years of watching him draw penalties that cost them far too many yards. Trying to install a new culture, Taylor made his debut on Saturday night, but it wasn’t pretty as they lost 38-17 to the Kansas City Chiefs.

While the quarterbacks didn’t look bad (with the exception of Jeff Driskel), the running game was non-existent without Joe Mixon as they had just 21 yards. Even worse, they’re already dealing with an injury to A.J. Green which really puts a damper on their outlook.