For the over a decade the Cincinnati Bengals were the joke of the NFL. From 1992-2002, in what fans in the Cincinnati area refer to as the “lost decade,” the Bengals went an astounding 52-124 during that period under three coaches, Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet and Dick LeBeau. It wasn’t until Marvin Lewis arrived in 2003 to turn the franchise around. Under Lewis, the Bengals went 131-122-3, winning 4 AFC North titles and making the playoffs seven times. After a certain time, a coaches voice and message becomes stale and that occurred with Lewis and the time had come to move on.

In comes Zac Taylor. A young, 36 year-old coach, a coach who would hopefully become the next Sean McVay. Taylor was coming from the Los Angeles Rams, who were playing in the Super Bowl under the leadership of the young McVay. Unfortunately, the Bengals had to wait until after the Super Bowl to bring Taylor in and the team was behind the ball in trying to bring in assistant coaches. With a few of the top assistants and coordinators off the table, Taylor was forced to bring in Lou Anarumo and the controversial offensive line coach, Jim Turner to name a few. While those two have experience in the game, much better options were out there earlier. Taylor and Turner do have a history together so it was no surprise he was hired on to coach the offensive line.

Now, those hopes and dreams Bengals fans had are not quite what they thought. The nightmare has possibly become reality as the Bengals have gone 4-20-1 under Taylor in just a season and a half. Injuries took their toll on the Bengals in Taylor’s first season, which saw the Bengals go 2-14, which was tied for the worst record in franchise history. Despite the horrible record, the Bengals were granted the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft, which saw them pick stud quarterback, Joe Burrow. There is no doubt Burrow is a rising star in this league but the question is, whether or not Taylor is the right guy to lead this team to the promised land. With Burrow at quarterback, the Bengals have the potential to be a very dangerous team. However, from what has been shown over the last season and a half, that seems to be further away.

When you look at the rosters from that time compared to now, it can be argued the current roster is more talented. However, is that due to the recency bias because it has been a while since we have seen those previous teams. There are players on each roster that would play on this current team. Regardless of the argument, the Bengals are on really thin ice of falling into the lost decade territory. It is hard to imagine that would happen again, especially with Burrow at quarterback but the results from last season to now, are saying otherwise.

Before Taylor’s arrival the Bengals took care of their own players but never ventured into free agency. Their belief was to build the team via the draft and that was evident during the Marvin Lewis era. The Bengals had some very solid drafts during his tenure and that led to regular season success. The Bengals were aggressive in free agency and had a solid draft this previous offseason but injuries to those free agents have helped derail any hope of a positive season. If the Bengals hope to avoid another lost decade, what can be done to make that hell not become a reality. First, the team needs another great offseason via the draft and free agency. The Bengals should be as aggressive in bringing in lineman as they were in beefing up the defense this past offseason. While they signed numerous defensive free agents and drafted a bunch of linebackers, addressing the defense is something they should continue to look into.

The offensive line is the of the upmost importance in being addressed. Protecting Burrow has to be the first thing the team addresses this offseason, otherwise, the Bengals are doomed to fall into the depths of hell, known as the lost decade. Without a franchise quarterback, the Bengals will not be able to compete in the division and certainly not the AFC. With a healthy Joe Mixon at running back, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd hauling in passes, the Bengals offense has potential. If Burrow can’t stay upright or can’t stay on the field because of hits he is constantly taking hits, then there is no benefit to having Burrow as a part of this organization. It would be better throwing a backup quarterback out there instead of a quarterback who can be one of the best in the league if you’re not going to take care of him.

With free agency and the draft being a big part of the teams upcoming success, the Bengals will also need to figure out which coach(es) are the best to help guide this team moving forward. If they take a look at the entire picture and see that the current head coach, Zac Taylor is the one to take them to the next level, then nothing more would be needed. If they don’t feel Taylor is the guy who can get this team competitive in the AFC North and eventually a major player in the AFC, then the move must be made to find that right guy. Taylor has been outcoached in the majority of the games during his tenure, especially divisional matchups. Taylor is 1-9 in the AFC North and the Bengals have yet to win a road game during his tenure.

With Joe Burrow, there is light at the end of the tunnel and with the right moves, this Bengals team will be competitive for many years to come. Failure to do so, that light at the end of the tunnel will be a freight train that will send this franchise into the depths of hell, also known as another lost decade.

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter   and