Bears-Bengals Preseason Game in Cincinnati Rekindles Zac and Press Taylor Rivalry

Childhood competition follows Taylor brothers to Paycor Stadium

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Saturday’s Bears-Bengals preseason game at Paycor Stadium will bring together more than two NFL teams: it will renew the long-running coaching rivalry between Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and his younger brother, Bears offensive coordinator Press Taylor.

The brothers’ competitive streak began decades ago in the front yard of their family home in Norman, Oklahoma. Zac Taylor, now 43, recalled inventing a game called “Punt Return” when he was 13, throwing the football into the air before tackling Press, then 8, on a small patch of grass. Press, 38, said the contests often ended with him losing — and unhappy about it.

That sibling competition eventually reached the NFL. The Taylor brothers have faced one another six times as coaches, with the results tracked on the Taylor Bro Bowl Trophy kept by their father, Sherwood Taylor, a former Oklahoma defensive back. Press took a 3-2-1 edge in the series after the Bears’ road victory over Cincinnati last season, when tight end Colston Loveland caught a pass from quarterback Caleb Williams and ran 58 yards for a touchdown in the closing seconds.

The exhibition result in Cincinnati will not be added to the family trophy, but the teams’ joint practice Thursday and Saturday’s game have created an opportunity for a broader Taylor family gathering. Press Taylor’s wife and four children traveled to Cincinnati, along with the brothers’ parents and two sisters.

Different career paths, shared football foundation

Both Taylors played quarterback at the same high school and junior college before continuing their careers separately. Zac transferred to Nebraska, while Press went to Marshall. They have never worked on the same coaching staff, but their NFL careers have repeatedly put them on opposite sidelines.

Zac Taylor joined the Bengals in 2019 after serving as quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Rams under Sean McVay. He is now the NFL’s fifth-longest-tenured head coach. Press Taylor spent seven seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and one with the Indianapolis Colts before becoming Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator in 2022. He later joined Bears coach Ben Johnson’s staff and was promoted in February to replace Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator.

Johnson has highlighted Press Taylor’s detailed preparation as a defining strength. Taylor maintains a database of college and professional game film spanning roughly 15 years, organized around defensive schemes, coordinators and concepts that have worked against them. During offseasons, he sometimes shares material from those files with his older brother.

That organization also helped produce one of the best-known trick plays in recent NFL history. As a young Eagles assistant in 2017, Press Taylor supplied offensive coordinator Frank Reich with a play called “Clemson Special,” based on a Bears concept. The Eagles renamed it the “Philly Special” and used it for a touchdown in their Super Bowl victory over New England.

For the Bengals and Bears, preseason preparation will carry limited competitive stakes. For the Taylor family, however, the matchup remains personal. Press Taylor said he is looking forward to competing against his brother again, while the official Taylor Bro Bowl standings will remain unchanged after Saturday’s exhibition.