I see a case with Lewis being fired, and that would be because he just lost his seventh straight playoff game.
However, the argument I keep hearing for him being fired is that he let the game get out of control and his players are reckless thugs. While I agree that Burfict was way, way out of line, I heard on D&C this morning that Lewis should have at least taken Burfict out for a play after that hit. I think that is a ridiculous argument, Lewis is the head coach and has to think of a million things during that time span. He isn't sitting at home watching the replay over and over again, how was he supposed to know how bad the hit was? What I did see was Burfict trying to explain himself to Lewis on the sideline and Lewis didn't even look at him, he just held his hands up like he was saying "Whatever, I don't want to hear your bullshit".
In the same vein, everyone is talking about how the Bengals are a lunatic organization with a bunch of classless players running amok. I know Saturday night was not a good example, but by most sources Pacman Jones had gone through a reformation as a person. When he was with Tennessee, Jones set a new standard for getting in trouble with the law, but somehow Marvin Lewis and the Bengals organization got him on the right path. In addition, the reality is that only a small handful of players were real problems on Saturday night, 95% of the players and coaches conducted themselves in dignity.
Someone who is a Bengals fan can probably speak better to this, but it is my understanding that the ownership in Cincinnati is terrible, and that they throw money around like manhole covers. While his playoff record is garbage, the fact is he has a record 112-92-2 record in a place that it is difficult to win in. In the six years pre-Marvin Lewis Cincinnati had a record of 22-70.