Stefanski vs Taylor: who has the edge?
By: Jake Rajala
The AFC North features the Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and the Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. Both of whom have reached the playoffs and have had many moments of bliss. With that said, I’m going to untwine which head coach has the edge.
Stefanksi has been consistent and lethal with the Browns. Stefanksi has recorded two 11-win seasons. Their defense has been on fire, regardless of their QB play. The Browns ranked first in yards allowed in 2023 and then fifth in YPG allowed in 2021!
Stefanski won NFL COTY in 2020 and 2023!
Stefanski’s highest rank before head coach was offensive coordinator. This came for a season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2019. Ever since then, he has been an HC in the Dog Pound.
In his very first season, Kevin went 11-5. He then went 8-9, then 7-10, then 11-6, and finally: 3-14. Not only has Kevin sputtered out, but his biggest project (Deshaun Watson) failed, as well.
Zac Taylor has been on the biggest roller coaster among all head coaches. He went 2-14 and then 4-11-1 in his second season. The patience was rewarded as he went 10-7 in his third season and became AFC Champions! Cincy then went 12-4 in the season afterward and then the Bengals went 9-8 in each of the past two seasons.
Zac Taylor has been Top-10 in points scored on three occasions and Top-10 in yards gained on two occasions.
We can pull out every statistic, but a pivotal area arises: head to head.
Over the past six match-ups, the Zac Taylor-led Bengals are 4-2 over their past six showdowns. The Bengals have scored at least 21 points in all of those games.
The outlook is much more murky for the Browns fans than the Bengals nation. There isn’t a clear, quality starting QB in CLE. There also isn’t enough firepower at WR and RB for the Browns. In Cincinnati, the Bengals have a Top-10 QB! Furthermore, they have serious ammunition with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to aid their QB.
In the end, I believe that the Bengals, who are coming off a three game winning streak against CLE, have the edge. Not only have the Bengals dismantled the Browns, but the Browns have failed to shine across most of the league.
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