Zac Taylor's History with Ryan Tannehill Could Be the X Factor in Bengals vs Titans Clash

The Cincinnati Bengals will travel to Nissan Stadium to take on the Tennessee Titans in an AFC Divisional Round matchup on Saturday. While the Bengals are the underdogs heading into the game, they have an x-factor who could, potentially, turn the tide in their favor: head coach Zac Taylor.

Taylor may be one of the younger coaches in the NFL, however, he has an extensive history with Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill that could work in Cincinnati's favor this weekend.

Bengals HC Zac Taylor knows Titans QB Ryan Tannehill well. Taylor was a Grad Asst at Texas A&M from 2008-11, the same four years Tannehill was there. When Miami drafted Tannehill in 2012, Taylor followed him there, serving as his QB Coach from 2012-14, and Tannehill’s OC in 2015.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 22, 2022

Bengals vs Titans Divisional Round

Since 2008, Taylor has spent eight years with Tannehill at various stages of their career. The Bengals coach was a graduate assistant when Tannehill was at Texas A&M from 2008 to 2011.

The duo continue their journey to the NFL when the Miami Dolphins drafted Tannehill in 2012 and hired Taylor as the QB coach that same season. The latter was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2015, which was the last time they were in the same organization.

As a head coach, Taylor has only faced Tannehill once. That meeting happened in Week 8 of the 2020 NFL season, resulting in a 31-20 victory for the Bengals. Tannehill completed 18 of his 20 passing attempts in the outing, throwing for 233 yards and two touchdowns to an interception.

Even though a lot has changed since then, there may not be anyone in the league who knows Tannehill better than Taylor. If he can use that knowledge again in the Divisional Round, we could have a major upset on our hands.

As it stands, the Bengals are 4-point road underdogs against the Titans, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Both teams have -110 odds to cover the spread.

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.