Zac, Press Taylor coaching for brotherly bragging rights, trophy on MNF

Brotherly bragging rights will be on the line for coaches on both sides of Monday night’s prime-time matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and his younger brother, Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor, will lead their teams against each other in Jacksonville during Week 13’s Monday Night Football game. And there is a trophy at stake. Their father, Sherwood Taylor, created one in 2017 to recognize the winners of the “Taylor Bro Bowl.” Each time the brothers coach against each other in the NFL, the trophy—which usually sits on their father’s desk in Norman, Oklahoma—is updated with engravings commemorating the game.

Not that either of the Taylor brothers is particularly caught up in it.

“It used to be something that was cool,” Press Taylor said at a press conference ahead of the game. “We used to be quality control [coaches] or assistant position coaches, whatever it was. So it was kind of a fun way for our family to be involved and talk a little trash. Now it’s something that only gets brought up really this time of year. We may randomly think about it every so often and see if my dad updated it. But that’s really all it is. Kind of a fun thing for our family.”

Added Zac Taylor: “A lot is made of it. Probably the least is made of it from me and Press. But he’s somebody I’m very proud of.”

This marks the fifth meeting between Zac, 40, and Press, 35, in the NFL. The younger Taylor brother holds a 2-1-1 advantage in the series. Their most recent encounter ended in a 23-23 tie in 2020 when Zac was in his second year leading the Bengals and Press was the quarterbacks coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jacksonville (8-3) is a 9.5-point home favorite over Cincinnati (5-6), per DraftKings Sportsbook, heading into this family reunion of sorts. Zac said he and his brother will interact briefly on Monday but wait until after the season to catch up.

But Jacksonville’s campaign might go on a little longer than Cincinnati’s.

The Bengals, losers of three in a row and entering their second full game without quarterback Joe Burrow, are in last place in the AFC North and stand 11th overall in the conference. But Zac Taylor isn’t giving up playoff hopes. Beating the Jags would inch the Bengals closer to a Wild Card position.

“No one is out of it. No one is in,” he said ahead of the matchup. “We’re right where we need to be. We just have to play our best football. Plenty of opportunity in front of us with people we play against that are in similar positions, maybe slightly more favorable.”

The Jaguars have won seven of their last eight games and enter Monday night as the third seed in the AFC playoff race. Beating the Bengals would tie the Jags with the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens for the most wins in the conference. And they’d be accomplishing that in front of a relatively new audience.

Jacksonville is making its first Monday Night Football appearance since 2011, ending the NFL’s longest active drought without a nod in the game. For context, six teams have each played more than 20 times on Monday night since, according to the Associated Press. Jacksonville’s return to the spotlight could be a rewarding one. Along with being heavy favorites over Cincinnati, the Bengals are 3-20 in road MNF games, the worst record in league history, and last won one in 1990, per AP.

In other words, Press Taylor has the historical advantage over his brother heading into the sibling face-off.

“It’s obviously exciting,” Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said of the team playing on Monday night. “It’s always an electric moment … Monday night is a special night. You’re the only game on, everybody is watching you and you want to put your best foot forward.”