Five consecutive trips to the playoffs have been followed two straight losing seasons. What can we really expect from the Cincinnati Bengals?
Only New England Patriots legend Bill Belichick has been the head coach of the same team longer than Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis when it comes to the NFL’s active sideline leaders. Of course, that’s where the similarities end. Since taking over in Foxborough, Belichick has led the Pats to eight Super Bowls and has come away with five Lombardi trophies. Meanwhile, Lewis has guided the Bengals to the postseason seven times and has yet to come away with a victory.
Over the past two seasons, Lewis’ squad is a combined 13-18-1 courtesy of a pair of losing campaigns. Prior to that the Bengals had reached the playoffs five consecutive years. Per usual, it has been a quiet offseason in terms of player movement for this franchise. So is this team still on course to be a contender in the AFC North?
Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers
Here is how the complete schedule, week-by-week, lays out for the Cincinnati Bengals:
Week 1: at IND
Week 2: vs. BAL
Week 3: at CAR
Week 4: at ATL
Week 5: vs. MIA
Week 6: vs. PIT
Week 7: at KC
Week 8: vs. TB
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: vs. NO
Week 11: at BAL
Week 12: vs. CLE
Week 13: vs. DEN
Week 14: at LAC
Week 15: vs. OAK
Week 16: at CLE
Week 17: at PIT
The team’s biggest shortcomings this past year came due to issues on both the offensive and defensive lines. Hence the decision to obtain left tackle Cordy Glenn from the Buffalo Bills via trade. The team also picked up defensive tackle Chris Baker, who comes off a disappointing year in Tampa.
More fansided.com: NFL Primetime: Rise of a Football Empire
Meanwhile, only the Green Bay Packers (12) have more selections in this year’s draft than the Cincinnati Bengals (11, as of April 8). If the team picks as well as it has in recent years, Lewis and company could get back on track sooner than later.