The Cincinnati Bengals broke their five-game losing streak on Sunday, as they welcomed the Oakland Raiders to Paul Brown Stadium. In fact, the Bengals looked dominant for the first time in a long time, and while it will likely not save Marvin Lewis’ job, it was a nice effort for the team on both sides of the ball.
Against a banged up Raiders offensive line, the Bengals were able to dominate in the pass rush, getting to Derek Carr five times. They got three sacks from star defensive tackle Geno Atkins, and rookie edge rusher Sam Hubbard was able to notch two sacks on the evening. In total, the defense held the Raiders to 16 points.
While the defense stepped up in a big way in Week 15, they have to be better, and they should utilize their first round pick on a linebacker. Devin White is the best middle linebacker in this draft class, and going to the Bengals, he could step right in and be a true leader in the middle of their defense.
Lewis has been a very good regular season head coach, but incredibly, he has not won a single playoff game since taking over in 2003. That is a very long time for one coach to survive without advancing past the Wild Card round, and while the Bengals looked good on Sunday, Lewis’ days have to be considered numbered.