A Pessimist's Guide to the Cincinnati Bengals

It wasn't supposed to be this way. The Cincinnati Bengals were seconds away from their first playoff win in more than two decades mere months ago. With most of the team returning for 2016, it seemed like this season would see them pick up where they left off. Unfortunately that didn't happen. 

So far, 2016 has been devastating to fans expecting another shot at a playoff run. The offense has been inconsistent, while the defense has been a sieve, and fans are ready to revolt. What's the problem? Well, maybe "what's not the problem" should be the question. Here's a look at it.

Quarterback: At this point, it's important to understand that Andy Dalton is what he is. He's a smart player who can succeed when given the right conditions. His arm has gotten stronger, but his deep balls are often off-target throws that rely on AJ Green to make a great play, which he usually does. Dalton also struggles when there's pressure, and can be forced into indecision by taking away his initial read. In addition, he has a history of wilting when the lights are the brightest.

Running Back: On the surface, it looks like Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard should be one of the league's best tandems. They've basically split carries for the season, but the results have been mixed. Hill is averaging 4.7 yards per carry, but that's misleading. He tends to run tentatively at times, and goes down more easily than his smaller counterpart. Bernard is quicker, and has the tools to be the big-play guy, but is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry, and seems unable to find daylight. Some of the issues can be attributed to struggles on the offensive line and to the play-calling, but the running game hasn't been able to be counted on consistently.

Wide Receiver: AJ Green is among the best three receivers in the NFL, and if he had an elite quarterback throwing to him, his numbers would be stupid. Unfortunately, with Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu leaving, there's a bit of a talent vacuum around him. Tyler Boyd has some promise, but is a rookie and still trying to find his place. Brandon LaFell was brought in to help fill the void, and has had some nice plays, but he has been irrelevant for far too much of the season. There's not enough speed and talent to keep defenses from keying on Green, who is putting up monster numbers despite this. 

Tight End: Tyler Eifert is one of the most talented tight ends in the NFL. Unfortunately, he's been brittle, and has missed a lot of time, including nearly half of this season. The Bengals also drafted a couple of backups who could be solid players, but who haven't done much thus far. 

Offensive Line: If there's a unit that has been the most responsible for the offense's struggles this year, it's the guys up front. Andrew Whitworth continues to be an anchor at left tackle, and for the most part, has been very good. The Bengals also have one of the better guard tandems in the league. Both Clint Boling and Kevin Zeitler are nasty blockers who shine in both the run and passing games. Zeitler has had some struggles in 2016, but some of that comes from having inferior talents on either side of him. Center Russell Bodine has been a sore spot for fans for a while. He is beaten by pass rushers far too often, and pressure up the middle has been something Dalton has struggled with throughout his career. Bodine struggles getting to second-level blocks in the run game as well. The right tackle spot has been a problem as well. Cedric Ogbuehi inherited the spot when Andre Smith left in the offseason, but it's been tough. Dalton has seen a ton of pressure off the edge where Ogbuehi just gets beaten at the snap. He's young, and has room to improve, but right now, he's not good. The amount of pressure the Bengals are allowing is alarming, and one of the big reasons the Bengals are 23rd in the league in scoring at just over 20 points per game.

Defensive Line: Geno Atkins is one of best defensive tackles in the NFL, but the line isn't built to maximize what he can do. Carlos Dunlap is a tremendous player against the run and as a pass rusher, but he's not a speed guy. The other defensive end spot is primarily manned by Michael Johnson. Johnson also lacks speed, and hasn't been nearly as much a threat as Dunlap. This overall lack of speed on the outside allows offenses to focus on Atkins, and allow their quarterback to settle in and make throws. The Bengals are among the league's worst in sacks, passing touchdowns surrendered, and completion percentage allowed. Much like the defense as a whole, there's not enough speed up front. They have also struggled against the run, which is bad because they were built with that in mind. Domata Peko has become ineffective and Johnson often gets moved around to easily. Injuries to their tackle depth hasn't helped, but the line has been a weakness too often this season.

Linebacker: Fans have taken issue with the linebacker position for most of Marvin Lewis' tenure as head coach. This is another unit that has a serious lack of speed, and it gets exposed weekly, especially in coverage. Opposing offenses are consistently able to isolate their tight end, or even a receiver, against a Bengals linebacker and convert it into big gains. Inability to cover the tight end has been an issue for so long, fans have forgotten what a good cover linebacker looks like. This season, the struggles aren't even limited to the passing game. There has been a season-long issue with tackling that has led to the Bengals giving up over 118 yards rushing per game. This is another unit in serious need of a speed infusion.

Secondary: The Bengals play a lot of zone, but lack the ability to play it well. Dre Kirkpatrick has flashes of the player the team envisioned when they drafted him, but often makes a bone-headed mistake that keeps drives going. The other side of the field was locked down in 2015 by Adam Jones, but 2016 has seem a big dropoff there. Age might be catching up to "Pacman" who was one of the league's best corners last season. It's been hard for fans to see him beaten so often this season. Rookie William Jackson was brought in to add speed to the secondary, but an injury has kept him sidelined. Shawn Williams is a big hitter, but hasn't been an upgrade over Reggie Nelson, and George Iloka hasn't gotten better since last year. As a whole, there have been way too many blown coverages in the secondary, especially on third down, keeping drives alive.

Special Teams: The coverage unit has been solid, and Kevin Huber is a terrific punter, but the special teams have been anything but special overall. Mike Nugent's struggles have been well documented, and his lack of range force the Bengals into tough situations if a drive stalls in opponents' territory. Some teams have a kicker who is a weapon, able to salvage points when a kick is needed from 50+ yards. The Bengals do not have that option. The return game has had a couple of big plays, but mostly has been below average.

Coaching: This is the single biggest issue for the Bengals. Marvin Lewis brought winning football back to Cincinnati, but has stagnated at this point. The loss of really good coordinators on both sides of the ball have hurt as well. One could complain about any number of things about this staff, but their whole philosophy seems to be one of counter-intuitiveness. Lewis loves to defer to the second half when the Bengals win the toss, which most teams would use to possibly get a score before the half, then another right after. This isn't the case for Lewis, who chooses to sit on the ball, even with more than a minute to go and timeouts before the half. His lack of aggression is infuriating to fans, and has arguably cost them more than one game. Another issue is the lack of adaptability. Lewis has failed to address the same issues that have become evident year after year. The Bengals have needed speed in the front seven on defense for years. It hasn't happened. He's also overly loyal to "his guys". He and his staff seem unwilling to make changes, either on the fly during games, or during the offseason, when the Bengals seem unwilling to part with system guys in order to upgrade. This extends to the assistants as well. Offensive line coach Paul Alexander continues to praise Russell Bodine, despite evidence that he's just not good enough. Marvin Lewis is not a bad head coach, but after so much time, it's just time for a new approach. The main argument against it is Mike Brown, who may not trust a new coach, and could go back to taking control of personnel, which hasn't worked out in the past. However, Duke Tobin has proven to be terrific, and hopefully a taste of winning has affected Brown's approach to things, and he'd be willing to keep in the background under a new regime. 

The Bengals are at a crossroad. Many fans feel like the window is closing, and the Bengals are in danger of slipping back into the pack after making the playoffs in six of the past seven seasons. The 2016 season has been heart-breaking, and there is no evidence that they're on the brink of righting the ship. This is doubly painful in a year where the rest of the division isn't playing well either, making the AFC North up for grabs. The Bengals are not out of it, but it's hard to envision them putting enough good games together to make the playoffs this season, much less making a run if they get there.