NFL Hot Seat: 5 coaches that must win Week 3
By Josh Hill
Marvin Lewis
Head Coach, Cincinnati Bengals
It was softly speculated at the beginning of the season (by this I mean me) that Marvin Lewis’ time in Cincinnati could be expiring soon. This was based on years of mediocrity that bred contempt for consistently settling for less.
No one expected Lewis to be heading into Week 3 looking for not only the first win of the season but for the team’s first touchdown. It only took two weeks for the first scapegoat to be offered up (offensive coordinator Ken Zampese) which is the worst omen ever. With the sacrificial lamb card already having been played, we’ve moved from the idea that Marvin Lewis might be fired after the season to the reality that he could get the boot before the year is over.
It sounds a little harsh, but the Bengals haven’t scored a touchdown yet in the 2017 season. Not even the New York Jets are that bad, and they’re gunning for 0-16. The Jets were also never ever in the conversation as a playoff team this year, which makes this even more stunning that Lewis has lost control of the ship this bad.
He’s the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL next to Bill Belichick, but there’s a stark contrast between levels of success. It might be time to try something new after 14-years of the same thing. Lewis has done legendary, borderline Hall of Fame, things with the Bengals. That being said, he hasn’t won a playoff game since he was a defensive coordinator with the 2001 Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV.