2021 will be a pivotal year for two Cincinnati coaches. Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell. Both are emerging from a year where their similar paths diverged.

Bell and Taylor have some things in common. Beyond coaching major league level teams in the same city. Their 2019 seasons were the first in their respective jobs. Both began with their teams languishing after several losing seasons. Taylor and Bell’s teams went in different directions in 2020. The Reds went to the MLB Postseason after six consecutive losing seasons. While the Bengals just wrapped up their fifth consecutive losing season.

There’s less pressure on Bell because of the Reds postseason appearance. However, the Reds qualified under unorthodox circumstances. The postseason field was expanded from ten to 16 teams. Over half instead of a third of Major League Baseball teams made it in. The Reds qualified after a late surge last September.

Before that surge, the Reds weren’t living up to the high expectations many had for them. In the postseason, the Reds offense was practically non-existent. Producing an abysmal showcase of the offensive struggles they had throughout 2020. Given the unusual nature of the 2020 season. Along with the way most of the season went for the Reds. Doubts still remain about whether Bell can guide the team to long-term success. A return trip to the postseason this year could quell those doubts.

Zac Taylor is on much thinner ice by comparison. He’s 6-25-1 after two seasons in his job. His first road win as the Bengals head coach wasn’t until last month. When the Bengals beat the Houston Texans in their road finale. Houston and Cincinnati won just four games in their respective 2020 seasons.

Unlike Bell, Taylor doesn’t have a postseason appearance to point to. Nor does he have a winning season to point to. Along with that, he doesn’t have a drastically altered schedule as an excuse. The Bengals and other National Football League teams played the typical 16 game regular season. MLB teams on the other hand played 60 instead of 162 games.

The Bengals problems go well beyond Zac Taylor himself. A coach struggling to shake the perception that he’s in over his head. Unlike the Reds, Bengals ownership consistently don’t make investments to improve the team. They haven’t done much to improve their disastrous offensive line. While losing many leading veterans due to injuries or transactions in recent years.

Questions linger over the Bengals scouting and strength and conditioning programs. After several first round draft picks were beset by injuries in their rookie seasons. Including last year’s top overall draft pick Joe Burrow. Along with Jonah Williams and William Jackson III. Willams and Jackson didn’t play in the year they were drafted.

This week, Taylor got a nod of confidence for another year from Bengals owner Mike Brown. At least five of his assistants wont return for the 2021 season. Offensive line coach Jim Turner and defensive line coach Nick Eason. Defensive assistant Gerald Chatman and wide receivers coach Bob Bicknell. Running backs coach Jemal Singleton is leaving for the same role with Kentucky Football. Changes in these roles could make a difference in shifting the Bengals fortunes. Without that shift, fans calls for Taylor to be fired will grow louder by the end of 2021.