NFL Power Rankings, Week 17: Saints clinch top seed, Ravens take over AFC North
By Dan Parzych
30. Cincinnati Bengals (29)
Back at the beginning of October, the Cincinnati Bengals appeared to be back on the winning track as a top contender in the AFC after the team jumped out to an impressive 4-1 start, only to watch it all slip away the rest of the way. While the Bengals can blame injuries to players like Andy Dalton and A.J. Green all they want for the way things have turned out this season, keep in mind some of the struggles were already taking place before this happened.
Sunday’s 26-18 loss to the Cleveland Browns was just another example of the kind of season this has been for Cincinnati, as it’s never easy to get swept by a division rival, especially when it comes to Hue Jackson. Once again, the question has to be discussed over what on earth the Bengals see in Marvin Lewis, as the head coach continues to receive opportunities he doesn’t deserve after the team will be missing out on the playoffs for a third year in a row.
Maybe after this season, the Bengals will finally realize what a terrible mistake it was to bring him back for 2018, and decide to part ways since most head coaches in his position would have been sent packing a long time ago. Talent wise, there’s no excuse for a team like Cincinnati to come up short the way they have this season, and as unfair as it sounds to put most of the blame on Lewis, he certainly deserves it.