Sometimes being an NFL head coach requires the kind of faith and positive outlook that can move mountains. That’s what Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is dealing with after watching his team fall to 3-7-1 Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
Most of us would agree the Bengals are done already. Only four teams have lost more games than Cincinnati, which is currently the No. 13 seed in the AFC.
That hasn’t stopped Lewis from seeing the glass as half full. He’s not conceding the season is over yet, though he acknowledged the Bengals need a lot of help to pull off a miraculous turnaround.
“As I told our guys, ‘Now we need help,’” Lewis said, via Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “We’ve been able to control it ourselves. now, we need some help. But it’s not done. … We obviously have to do our end now, and that’s to win the last five ball games, if we have any chance to go to the playoffs. And that’s still in sight, but we need help now — no question.”
Hats off to Lewis for the positive vibes. He’s been around the block more than a few times as the most tenured head coach in the league besides Bill Belichick. But we’d also be remiss if we did not point out the unlikelihood of Cincinnati running the table.
The last time the Bengals won a game was in late October, and they have yet to string two wins in a row together, let alone five. On top of that, the team’s best offensive weapon — A.J. Green — might not return for a few more weeks as he recovers from a hamstring injury the team initially thought was season ending.
The team’s offense has floundered all year long, even with Green in the lineup. After watching Andy Dalton take a huge step in the right direction last year, he’s been downright mediocre this year, throwing just 12 touchdowns in 11 games. On top of that, Cincinnati has just five rushing touchdowns this season. This lack of production has led to the Bengals featuring the league’s sixth-worst scoring offense.
Without consistent offensive production, the team’s defense has struggled as well. It ranks in the bottom half of the league in both yards and points allowed.
Heck, even kicker Mike Nugent is floundering. He missed another extra point yesterday, making it three straight after he missed two the week before.
In every way, Cincinnati is headed the wrong direction at the wrong time of year to make a playoff push. So while we applaud Lewis for trying to keep spirits high, we are highly skeptical he even believes the Bengals will somehow rebound to make the playoffs in 2016.