The Cincinnati Bengals off-season began quicker than they expected. The Bengals lost their AFC Wild Card Game on Sunday afternoon to the San Diego Chargers by a score of 27-10. The loss marked the third consecutive season in which Cincinnati was one and done in the postseason. The Bengals franchise has not won a playoff game since the 1990 National Football League season which happens to be the longest active streak in the league. In Sunday’s loss to the Chargers, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton was 29-of-51 passing for 334 yards and a touchdown pass. Dalton also accounted for three of the four Bengal turnovers as he was intercepted twice and he fumbled once. The fans at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati quickly turned on Dalton Sunday afternoon and rightfully so as he is the field general for the Bengals. But should he be the sole whipping boy in the Bengals organization?
In 11 seasons as the head coach of the Bengals, Marvin Lewis has compiled a record of 90-85-1. Lewis’ 90 victories are the most in franchise history, but he is now 0-5 in the postseason including three home losses. If the Bengals were located in a bigger market such as Philadelphia or New York, the fans would be screaming for a change at the head coaching position. But due to the fact that the Bengals are nestled in Southern Ohio which is one of the smaller markets in the NFL, I guess that Lewis gets a pass.
As an organization the Bengals were the laughing stock of the NFL for a long time. After making two trips to the Super Bowl in the 1980’s the Bengals took a turn for the worse in the 1990’s. After qualifying for the playoffs in 1990, the Bengals did not have another winning season until 2005. Over that stretch the Bengals would go on to select some of the biggest busts in NFL Draft history ranging from Dan Wilkinson to Akili Smith. When Lewis joined the Bengals in 2003 he had to change the culture from a loser to that of a winner. Under Lewis the Bengals have only had three losing seasons as opposed to not having a winning season under their previous three head coaches, but Lewis just cannot get this team over the hump.
Since taking over as the Bengals owner in 1991, Mike Brown has been a man that has always appeared to have his head in the clouds. Brown has presided over this futility for the Bengals and he also acts as the team’s president and general manager. We see this same formula with the Dallas Cowboys as their owner Jerry Jones also acts as the team’s general manager and president as you see the recent lack of success that they have also had. Together Brown and Lewis can identify talent, but they have yet to find leadership for the Bengals.
With the score tied 7-7 late in the first half of their loss to the Chargers, the Bengals appeared ready to assume control of the game. Dalton connected with running back Giovanni Bernard on a pass inside of the red zone. Bernard would go on to fumble and the Chargers recovered. Cincinnati would get the ball back and kicker Mike Nugent would connect on a 46-yard field goal to give the Bengals the 10-7 advantage at halftime. With the Bengals trailing the Chargers 17-10 in the second half, Cincinnati already had the look on the sidelines of a defeated team. With six minutes left in the game and the Bengals trailing San Diego 20-10, Dalton threw the deep bomb to wide receiver A.J. Green who had beat double coverage on the play. Green would have had a touchdown reception that would have cut the deficit to just three points, but the football went right through his hands which symbolized the Bengals futility. The Chargers were a tough enough opponent on Sunday, but once the turnovers began to mount and the Bengals were faced with adversity they just were unable to answer the bell as they simply looked defeated.
In the other AFC Wild Card Game this past weekend the Indianapolis Colts were able to overcome a 38-10 deficit against the Kansas City Chiefs in spite of their starting quarterback Andrew Luck throwing three interceptions. The Colts would rally and go on to defeat the Chiefs 45-44. The Colts won because they have leadership on their team. Luck never allowed the interceptions to affect his play and the Colts believed that they were always in the game. That is something that the Bengals are still searching for which is why they were eliminated.
Leadership starts at the top of the organization and after the Bengals loss to the Chargers, Brown did not help the situation. According to NFL.com writer Chris Wesseling, after the loss to the Chargers, Brown claimed that he would have rather selected San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the 2011 NFL Draft as opposed to Dalton. The Bengals selected Dalton with the 34th overall pick while the Niners chose Kaepernick with the 35th pick. According to the report Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden spoke up for Dalton which is why he was drafted to Cincinnati.
The stars appeared to be aligning for the Bengals this season. The Bengals started the season with a record of 6-2 for the first time since 1988 which was the last season that they made the Super Bowl. Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens went 8-8 this season as they are each rebuilding which opened the Bengals to seize the AFC North Title without that much competition. Heading into the 2014 season it won’t be as easy for the Bengals in the AFC North as the Steelers and Ravens should be able to reload.
At this dark hour for the Bengals they don’t need finger pointing and Brown has now stirred the hornet’s nest with his foolish comments. Instead of looking for ways to make Dalton and the Bengals better, Brown has thrown his young starting quarterback under the bus. If anyone needs to know why the Bengals still have not won a playoff game since 1990; just take a look at their “successful” owner in Mike Brown.
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