Cincinnati Bengals: Takeaways from Week 12 loss vs. Browns
By Kenn Korb
This Had Better Be Marvin’s Last Ride
On the subject of things that must change, if it wasn’t clear before, Marvin Lewis’ time as a positive force for this franchise is dead.
He did a great job to bring this franchise from the doldrums of the 1990s and into an era where they not only made the playoffs, but ended up doing so five-straight years from 2011-15 and seven times overall. A team so bad that its nickname became synonymous with incompetence for a decade was actually winning division titles and playing meaningful games in the winter with
As we speak, all of the goodwill accumulated from Lewis’ tenure is staring dead-eyed into the abyss and is ready to dive headfirst into its depths. These aren’t the barrel-bottom Bungles of yore, but they are as mired in mediocrity as a franchise can be.
That 4-1 start to this season stands as a helpless mirage along that path, and even if this team were to somehow recover and still make the playoffs this year, the eighth-straight postseason loss for the team under Lewis’ leadership would feel inevitable.
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These Bengals are beyond ready for seismic change at the top, and outside of Mike Brown giving up control (fat chance) Lewis is the one and only name on the totem pole who holds a sizable chunk of decision-making power and is in a position which can actually be changed and make a noticeable difference at the same time.
Maybe then the Bengals can actually attract more than just opposing fans to their half-empty stadium on Sundays again.