Odds Say Bengals Might Actually Hire Hue Jackson as Head Coach

• The Cincinnati Bengals have lost five of their last six games, putting Marvin Lewis on the hot seat. 
• Hue Jackson has been rumored as a possible replacement. 
• The odds indicate that the former Browns HC might actually get the job. Facepalm.

What a turn this season has taken for Cincinnati Bengals fans. After starting the year 4-1, their team is now 5-6, has lost QB Andy Dalton to injury, and is on pace to set NFL records for defensive futility.

In the last three games, the Bengals have given up 481, 551 and 576 yards. The Saints have 456 yards in the fourth quarter. The Bengals’ defense is gunning for bad records. They are on pace to break the record for most yards allowed in a season. https://t.co/iQnukzpYP7

— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) November 11, 2018

Most fans were happy to hear that long-tenured coach Marvin Lewis is on the hot seat. But every last one was completely dismayed when Hue Jackson was rumored to be a potential replacement.

If the Bengals make a head coaching change, don’t discount Hue Jackson’s chances: https://t.co/I6IQTRK03A

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) November 25, 2018

Bengal fans were hoping that was a poorly timed April Fool’s joke from JLC. But sportsbooks have released a prop on Jackson becoming the next boss in Cincinnati, and the odds are no laughing matter.

Odds Hue Jackson is Head Coach of the Bengals in 2019

There’s a decent amount of juice baked into the line, but +170 odds carry an implied probability of 37%. That is way, way too high for any Cincinnati fan to be comfortable with.
While Jackson has a track record of success as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator, a position he held in 2014 and 2015, his track record as a head coach is one of the worst in the history of the league.

Under Jackson’s charge, the Browns went 3-36-1 over 2.5 seasons. That’s a 0.88 winning percentage.  Since Cleveland fired him after Week 8, the team has already won two games, including a 35-20 pounding of Cincinnati, a win that snapped a 25-game road losing streak,.

Hilariously, Jackson was already on the Cincinnati sideline for that setback as the Bengals hired him as an assistant almost immediately after the Browns fired him. Whatever insider knowledge of the Browns’ system he brought to Cincinnati did more harm than good, evidently.

Which Side is the Better Bet?

Hiring Hue Jackson would be one of the worst decisions Bengal ownership could make. It’s tempting to advise that people pound the “NO” side. But predicting what Mike Brown is going to do on the coaching front is extremely difficult.

Lewis has been the head coach since 2003, despite an 0-7 playoff record. Brown fears change like fantasy owners fear facing Todd Gurley. Hiring Jackson would be the least changey change he could make.

I’d still put my money on “NO,” but I wouldn’t be able to relax for a solid nine months.