The 2019 season was one of ups and downs for the Cincinnati Bengals. In week 1, they lost a close one to the Seahawks, 21-20, on the road in Seattle. The next week, they were blown apart by the 49ers, 41-17. That couldn’t have been more of a representation of the Bengals in 2019, as those results couldn’t have been any more different for a team in the first two games of the season. With the Bengals having the roller coaster season they did and despite the 2-14 record, the season was not all doom and gloom.

With the 2020 NFL Draft just a few days away, let’s take a look back at the Bengals 2019 season and see if they passed or failed in Zac Taylor’s first season as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.

2019 Offseason and Regular Season

Heading into last season, the Bengals were at a bit of a disadvantage. The Bengals and Marvin Lewis agreed to part ways, leaving them without a head coach for the first time since 2003. The organization turned to 35 year-old Los Angeles Rams Quarterback Coach, Zac Taylor, to be the next man to lead the Bengals. With Taylor having the honor of coaching in the Super Bowl, there was a delay in getting him in the building full time. The delay was due to the Bengals organization having to wait until after the Super Bowl and in turn caused the evaluation of players and coaches to take longer. That did not stop the organization from going out and acquiring players via free agency, bringing in Preston Brown, John Miller and B.W. Webb just to name a few. Signing free agents from other teams is something that was not normal for the Bengals prior to Taylor coming in. Coaching changes and free agent signings are just a few things signaling this team now is run by Katie and Troy Blackburn, along with Duke Tobin.

While there was a new and positive direction in the leadership and coaching in the organization, the way things played out on the field were not as positive. The Bengals tied a franchise worst for record at 2-14 for a single season. While the record will show the Bengals were historically bad, their play on the field will state otherwise. Of those 14 losses the Bengals suffered last season, eight of those losses were by less than one score. Defensively, the Bengals gave up the 4th most yards per game, an average of 393.7 yards and an average of 26.2 points per game, which was 8th most in the league. On the other side of the ball, the Bengals could only muster an average of 323.1 yards per game, which was 26th best in the league. The lack of yards translated to a lack of points, where the team was 30th best in the league with an average of just 17.4 points per game. Like in 2018, the Bengals were hit with some injuries to key players but the losses to players were not as bad as the prior season.

Quarterback Andy Dalton had quite the wild ride in 2019. After a stellar first few weeks, Dalton began to struggle and Zac Taylor decided to bench the veteran signal caller in favor of rookie Ryan Finley. That experiment lasted just three games after Finley failed to impress. Dalton returned to the huddle in week 13, leading the Bengals to a 22-6 victory over the New York Jets, giving the Bengals their first win of the season. However, Dalton’s final stat line was one to be desired, completing just 59.5% of his passes for 3494 yards, 16 TD and 14 interceptions. Even with the struggles, the Bengals offense still managed to have a 1000 yard rusher and receiver in 2019, as Joe Mixon rushed for 1137 yards on 278 carries while Tyler Boyd hauled in 90 catches for 1046 yards.

In conclusion, the Bengals were the worst team in the league on paper, which deserves a failing grade but their play on the field suggested a low but yet passing grade for the 2019 season. The season was one of intrigue as the Bengals had the talent to go 12-4 but as we saw, they could go completely sideways and end up with the worst record in the league. The Bengals will still get a passing grade due to the totality of the circumstances leading into the season and the on-field product for most of the season.

Grade: C-/D+

The disastrous 2019 season did give the Bengals and fans some optimism, as the Bengals will be drafting first overall on Thursday night, in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter   and