Bengals' Zac Taylor After Loss vs. Steelers: 'I Haven't Done a Good Enough Job'

The Cincinnati Bengals' 0-4 start to the 2019 NFL season feels as bad as it has looked.

"To be quite honest, it starts with me," first-year head coach Zac Taylor told reporters following the Bengals' 27-3 loss Monday night to the Pittsburgh Steelers. "I gotta make sure the standard is higher than what it is right now because I haven't done a good enough job. ... We feel awful right now."

Taylor was hired as the Bengals head coach in February after previously serving as the quarterbacks coach last season for the high-flying Los Angeles Rams, so expectations were high that he could breathe life into a franchise that had been led by Marvin Lewis since 2003 and hasn't won a postseason game since 1990.

For now, the Bengals are simply searching for Taylor's first win in Cincinnati.

Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton not having All-Pro receiver A.J. Green, who ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier Monday "could be out a while" longer while rehabbing a preseason ankle injury, doesn't help. However, it wouldn't have mattered if Green had been on the field Monday night given the offensive line's inability to protect Dalton:

The Bengals defense, meanwhile, entered the matchup with the Steelers ranking 31st in rushing defense and 28th in total defense.

So while Taylor blamed himself, the problems are widespread. Jason La Canfora offered a possible solution while noting he doesn't believe Taylor will be one-and-done in Cincinnati:

In the short term, Cincinnati's next chance to climb out of winless purgatory will be Sunday afternoon against the 0-3-1 Arizona Cardinals.