Should Bengals Place Marvin Lewis on Hot Seat After Another Playoff Disaster?

The Cincinnati Bengals hired former Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis to be their head coach back in 2003.

He became the ninth head coach in franchise history and has now held the position through 12 seasons. In those 12 seasons, Lewis has led the Bengals to six playoff appearances and has only experienced a losing season three different times.

The problem is that the Bengals have not won a playoff game under Lewis and really do not seem any closer to doing so.

Sunday's 26-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts marked the fourth consecutive year that Cincinnati reached the Wild Card Round, only to lose in disappointing fashion. After the 2011 season, Cincinnati lost to the Houston Texans 31-10. It fell 19-13 to the Texans a year later and suffered a 27-10 defeat at the hands of the San Diego Chargers following the 2013 season. 

That 19-13 game was the only one in which it really appeared the Bengals had an opportunity to win, which indicates a lack of preparation. It was also the only time in the past four tries that the Bengals managed to produce second-half points.

"Obviously, it's a disappointing finish," Lewis told the media following his latest postseason loss. "I thought we fought back in the football game and just got behind. I never got the field position flipped in the third quarter, and that seemed to be the big difference in the football game."

Lewis was talking about the Colts game, but it certainly feels like that quote could've come after any of his postseason losses.

Season	Opponent	Second-Half Points	Result
2005-06	Steelers	0	L 31-17
2009-10	Jets	7	L 24-14
2011-12	@Texans	0	L 31-10
2012-13	@Texans	6	L 19-13
2013-14	Chargers	0	L 27-10
2014-15	@Colts	0	L 26-10

The fact the Bengals have scored six second-half points in four playoff games seems to indicate a complete inability to make halftime adjustments. The blame for this must fall on Lewis, especially since his coordinators have changed but the results have remained.

Losing offensive coordinator Jay Gruden and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer last offseason might have made for a fine excuse for some regular-season struggles. However, the Bengals had little trouble getting back to the postseason.

The regular season is not the problem for Lewis. Though the team has been flat at times, the Bengals are usually competitive—at times even dominant—in games played between September and December.

When it comes to the postseason, however, Lewis' teams seem to fold. You can blame injuries to A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham, among others, for the latest postseason stumble. You can also blame the injury to quarterback Carson Palmer in Lewis' first playoff game (2006) as a head coach if you want. The fact remains that six poor outings in six playoff tries is the sign of a trend.

Something has to change.

For this talented Bengals team, it would seem that a change could come at quarterback or at the head coaching position. Andy Dalton has 873 yards with just one touchdown and six interceptions in his four playoff appearances, so criticism of him is fair. 

Dalton signed a six-year, $96 million deal before the start of the season, but only $17 million of that contract is guaranteed, so moving on is a possibility.

However, trading or releasing Dalton would not take away from the fact that Lewis has proved to be a postseason loser. Dalton did not lead the defense that was unprepared for the Colts passing attack on Sunday. He also wasn't responsible for abandoning the ground game (22 total carries as a team) when Cincinnati began to fall behind.

These were calls made by Lewis, who just seems to forget what his vast experience has taught him once the postseason rolls around.

What the Bengals need to start worrying about is whether Lewis is ever going to learn how to coach in the postseason. While it is difficult to move away from a head coach who consistently has his team looking like a contender in the regular season (with the wins to prove it), Cincinnati has to at least consider the possibility.

There simply comes a time when getting to the dance isn't good enough. You have to get out on the floor and prove you belong.

Though Lewis keeps getting his team to the playoffs, it rarely really feels like it belongs there. This is most likely due to Lewis' track record. If the Bengals do not feel he can change the narrative, the organization absolutely needs to start looking for someone who will.