The Cincinnati Bengals are staring down another season that’s slipping out of their hands. At 3–8 and riding a four-game losing streak after Sunday’s 26–20 loss to the New England Patriots , frustration in Cincinnati is boiling over. And right on cue, the noise has returned: Fans are once again calling for head coach Zac Taylor to hand over the offensive play-calling.

Normally, this chorus pops up when the Bengals crawl out of the gate, when the offense hits one of its famous midseason dry spells, or when Joe Burrow goes down and everything falls apart. That’s usually when people wonder: Is Taylor holding the offense and the team back? But this time, that’s not really the question. In fact, it’s pretty unlikely that play-calling is the root of the problem right now. Because

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