Marvin Lewis: What Must He Do to Keep His Job?

By Phil Naegely | Aug 25, 2015

After their week one preseason performance, the Cincinnati Bengals digressed against the Buccaneers in their second game. Once the regular season takes place, the Bengals won’t be able to afford performances like Monday’s. For long-time head coach Marvin Lewis, it could cost him his job mid-season, but if the Bengals front office are wise, then they’ll allow Lewis to remain coach through the regular season.

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From 2011-2014 the Bengals made four-straight playoff appearances and set a franchise record for consecutive appearances in the playoffs. It was only the sixth time the Bengals made the playoffs since Lewis started ahead of the 2003 NFL season.

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However, what the Bengals are not been good at during Lewis’ tenure is playing well in playoff games. In all six appearances they have fallen in the Wild Card round. Lewis and quarterback Andy Dalton have yet to secure there first NFL playoff victory as head coach and quarterback, respectively.

Lewis isn’t on the hottest seat amongst all NFL coaches. Yet, Lewis is smart enough to know that he must deliver a playoff victory or else he could be fired. Making the playoffs is a great goal especially when the team wasn’t competitive within the AFC North and missed out on the playoffs six out of eight years after Lewis took over. However, now the Bengals are perennial playoff participants and must show they can finally win in the Wild Card round.

It’s quite simple what Lewis must do to keep his job with the Bengals; they must stay within reach of a playoff berth throughout the season, secure a spot in the playoffs, and win a game. If not, Lewis’ tenure with the Bengals will end at 12 years in charge despite his contract running through the 2016 NFL season.

The ball is in his court on how the 2015 NFL season will be remembered for him, the players and the fans. He will need to get over the hump of winning a playoff game, which will require Dalton and his targets to be on the same page and not dropping easy to catch passes. The AFC North is highly competitive this year despite the Baltimore Ravens being the early favorites to win the division.

There’s a reason why games are played. The Bengals have the potential to be a threat in the AFC North, or they could just be a dud that finishes in the cellar and out of the playoffs, which would sent Lewis packing. Currently, Lewis’ job security is good, but any long string of losses will quickly intensify the calls to fire him and lessen his chances of returning as the coach of the Bengals for the 2016 NFL season.

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