Zac Taylor Calls the 2021 Win in Baltimore One of the Biggest of His Tenure With the Bengals

Sports admin October 20, 2026 0 Comments

Zac Taylor Calls the 2021 Win in Baltimore One of the Biggest of His Tenure With the Bengals

Zac Taylor still remembers the last time the Cincinnati Bengals played in Baltimore during the day. It was Oct. 24, 2021, and the Bengals won 41-17 at M&T Bank Stadium. Asked about it Monday as Cincinnati prepares to return to Baltimore, Taylor put it near the top of his tenure.

“That was a big game for us back then,” Taylor said

What Zac Taylor remembers about the 2021 win

His first memory was a protection scheme. “Seven-man protection. That was our first game we introduced seven-man protection,” Taylor said. He also pointed to Samaje Perine’s late run, a 46-yard touchdown with 6:59 left that put the game away.

The extra blockers worked. Joe Burrow went 23 of 38 for 416 yards with three touchdown passes and an interception, and Ja’Marr Chase caught eight passes for 201 yards, including an 82-yard touchdown in the third quarter. C.J. Uzomah added two touchdown catches.

Taylor said the result mattered as much as the numbers. Baltimore had swept the Bengals in each of Taylor’s first two seasons. “It was probably at the point of the year where it was good to get a win like that for our guys to verify the confidence they had,” he said. “We thought we were a good team, and it kind of solidified that for us.”

That 2021 team went on to win the AFC and reach the Super Bowl. According to Taylor, every trip to Baltimore since has come at night. “That was the last time I think I’ve seen daylight in Baltimore,” Taylor said. “So yeah, this feels a little different.”

He doesn’t think this group needs the same kind of proof. “I don’t think this is a team that has to have that. We really want it, but I don’t know that it’s the same position that we were in back then,” Taylor said. The 3-2 Bengals are coming off the bye with an opening in a crowded AFC North, while the 4-2 Ravens are coming off a loss in Cleveland that left questions at quarterback.

The 2026 version still has work to do. Taylor has already warned about the 200-plus rushing yards his defense allowed in Miami, and one NFL analyst says Burrow’s only real opponent is staying healthy for 17 games. Taylor wants his team to finally put a complete game together, and he admitted a road win over a division rival would carry some weight even if it isn’t required.

Bengals fans who remember that afternoon in 2021 know how much one game in Baltimore can change the feel of a season. Taylor remembers it, too.

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Bengals Have an Opening in a Crowded AFC North – if They Fix One Flaw

This story was originally published October 20, 2026 at 1:30 PM.