‘They Deserve Our Best’ – Bengals Coach Zac Taylor Says Week 18 Has Plenty of Meaning

Barely 20 minutes after the Cincinnati Bengals walked off the field at Arrowhead Stadium following a 25-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that ended their quest for a third consecutive playoff berth, head coach Zac Taylor was turning his focus to Week 18 and the Cleveland Browns.

Taylor insisted that a game many view as meaningless is important to him, the players, and the organization.

“Unfortunately, not every year is your year,” Taylor said.

“We still have one more game to play. It’s a big game for us at home against a divisional team. We are not sitting here like our season is over because we still have one big game left. We are looking forward to playing in front of our fans, and our guys will give their best effort.”

Bengals Coach Zac Taylor Says Week 18 Is a Meaningful Game

The bigger question is, “Which guys?”

Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said he will “probably” play against the Browns despite dealing with a shoulder injury that had him playing at what he estimated to be 70% health against the Chiefs.

Despite loss, #Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase doubles down on trash talk of Chiefs defense: https://t.co/c9F7HhGhmk pic.twitter.com/5DDgyhsa9G

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) January 1, 2024

Tee Higgins left Sunday’s game after re-aggravating the hamstring injury that forced him to miss three games in November. He returned because “It was one of those situations where it was a game-time decision of ‘Do I want to go in and try to help the team get a win?’”

Higgins went back into the game and drew a big 30-yard pass interference penalty. Yet, given all of the circumstances surrounding his situation, it would be surprising to see him suit up Sunday against the Browns.

Hamstring injuries can be unpredictable, and Higgins is heading into the biggest offseason of his career with him due to being a free agent in March. His days in Cincinnati more than likely are over, so it’s hard to see him putting so much at risk in a Week 18, play-for-pride game.

Joe Mixon is in a unique situation as well. He’s under contract in 2024, but if he wants to stay in Cincinnati, he’s probably going to have to agree to another pay cut the way he did before the 2023 season.

MORE: Cincinnati Bengals Observations From Playoff-Snuffing Loss at Kansas City

Avoiding the risk of injury would make sense, but so, too, would playing with Mixon only 77 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark.

Running back Chase Brown appeared to get hurt toward the end of Sunday’s game, so his status will be in question as well.

Moving from individual motivations and organizational ones, the chance to finish with a winning record and avoid a 0-6 record in the AFC North are the top goals.

Taylor made it clear the players who are active will be playing for more than themselves, making Sunday an important game.

“This team has fought hard. They represent this organization the right way,” Taylor said. “It’s a meaningful game for us. It’s a divisional game. It’s a chance to finish with a winning record in front of our fans. They deserve our best. We’re gonna give them our best.”

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