2015 Could Be Make or Break For The Bengals.

2015 is a big year for the Cincinnati Bengals. It's the final year of AJ Green's contract, Head Coach Marvin Lewis is on thin ice, Andy Dalton is on the second year of his new contract and the division (AFC North) is a very tough one, once again.

So, the AFC North seems to be a difficult one, if the Bengals don't make the playoffs no big deal, right? Wrong! The Cincinnati Bengals have been in the same position for the past four years, a good regular season but no playoff win. Marvin Lewis isn't a bad coach, I don't believe that he is. However, Coach Lewis could be in a position where his back is against the wall and he's feeling even more pressure to win a playoff game entering his 12th season as the Bengals' head coach.

Lewis is 100-90-2 in his 12 seasons with the Bengals in the regular season, 0-6 in playoff games.

A lot of analyst's and the fans in Cincinnati have high expectations for the Bengals in the 2015-16 season, yet again. After losing to the Indianapolis Colts last season and having four straight seasons with a playoff loss, some fans are beginning to lose faith in coach Lewis and his ability to lead the Bengals to a playoff win. However, the Bengals had some excuses for their short comings in the 2014-season: Marvin Jones was out for the entire season (injury), AJ Green was injured for most of the season (playoff game included), defense had key-players injured. Oh, and I don't think anybody was beating Andrew Luck on his home field.

Entering the 2015 season, no excuses, the Bengals have to show that they can take the next step or it could be the end of an era for coach Lewis and we could see the Bengals in a rebuilding stage. All the players are back healthy, Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill both have another year of experience in the Bengals' offensive scheme, and the Bengals signed Michael Johnson - who played a major role in the team's defense before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014 - this should help to add back some much needed depth and aggression to the defensive front line.

I don't think Marvin Lewis is out for sure if the team doesn't win a playoff game, no. But there are only so many chances to prove yourself in today's NFL (ex: John Fox in Denver). Lewis has had a great run in Cincinnati and I would like to see him get this Bengals team over the playoff "hump". However, there are only so many contract extensions that a player or coach can get, I just hope Lewis isn't on his last "leg" in Cincinnati.

The Bengals open up their season on Sept. 13, traveling to Oakland,CA to battle the Raiders.