In February 2019, the Cincinnati Bengals searched for a head coach who could propel them back to the postseason and over the first-round exit rut. As many teams in need of coaches that cycle, the Bengals sought to capture the offensive magic Sean McVay brought to the Los Angeles Rams en route to a Super Bowl appearance.
And so, the Bengals hired McVay's quarterback's coach, Zac Taylor, to lead their program. The first two seasons in Cincy were a bumpy ride for Taylor, who netted a 6-25-1 record. But Cincy didn't change course and was rewarded with their first AFC North title since 2015 and first postseason win in 31 years.
Sunday's thrilling 27-24 win over the Chiefs, wherein the Bengals tied the 2006 Colts for the largest comeback in conference championship game history with their 18-point reversal, sent Cincy back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1988.
In Super Bowl LVI, Taylor will face off against the coach and team that propelled him to the Bengals' head coaching gig: McVay and the L.A. Rams.
"The joke is if you have a cup of coffee with Sean McVay, you're going to be a head coach in the NFL. ... There's a lot of truth to that," Taylor quipped Monday, via Mike Petraglia of CLSN Media.
After spending four seasons with the Miami Dolphins, working his way from assistant quarterbacks coach up to offensive coordinator, Taylor spent one season at the University of Cincinnati as the OC and QBs coach in 2016. He then jumped back to the pros to work under McVay. Taylor spent 2017 as assistant wide receivers coach and 2018 as quarterbacks coach, reaching the Super Bowl.
"Working for Sean was the best two years of my life. It was fun, you loved coming into the building," Taylor said, per Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals official website. "He's really showed a lot of us young guys you can do it your own way."
The matchup will mark the first Super Bowl between two head coaches under the age of 40 -- McVay is 36 and Taylor 38 years old.
The Bengals defied all odds, streaking to the Super Bowl by knocking off the No. 1 seed Titans and No. 2 seed Chiefs on last-second field goals. Now comes the task of Taylor taking on his former employer.
Following the Rams' NFC Championship win over the San Francisco 49ers, McVay spoke glowingly about his Super Bowl opponent.
"Really, congratulations to them for winning the NFC," the coach said. "You look at the start of that game, I think they're a great, resilient team. It didn't look good for them and they've just continued to show why they're a mentally tough outfit. I think that's reflected by their head coach. I know what a great coach he is. They've done a great job this year. We've crossed over with him a little bit, but I'm looking forward to diving into the tape, figuring out how to put together a good game plan to try to see if we can finish this thing off."
With so many connections between the Rams and Bengals coaching staffs, the familiarity could breed an intriguing chess match in Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13.
