The story of the 2024 Cincinnati Bengals was a rare one. It’s unusual to see a quarterback play at an MVP level, like Joe Burrow did, and his team miss the playoffs.
Someone had to pay the price, and it was clear that would be defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. He wasn’t the only one though.
Anarumo was fired on Monday, according to multiple reports. The Bengals also fired offensive line coach Frank Pollack, linebackers coach James Bettcher and defensive line coach Marion Hobby, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic.
It was a significant fall for an assistant who was lauded for the job he did on the 2021 AFC championship Bengals. Anarumo got some head-coaching consideration after that season. Then the Bengals went 9-8 this season, missing the playoffs despite Burrow leading the NFL in passing yards and touchdown passes. A big issue was a defense that finished 25th in yards and points allowed.
Anarumo had been the Bengals’ defensive coordinator since 2019, and was celebrated for his complex schemes. The Bengals had success against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, which was one reason Anarumo became a hot name in coaching circles. But the results for the defense had fallen off the past couple seasons. The Bengals finished 31st in yards allowed in 2023. The 2024 season wasn’t much better.
Burrow led the NFL with 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns, but that wasn’t enough to make the playoffs. That put a lot of heat on Anarumo. The Bengals decided to fire him and other assistants after missing the playoffs. Anarumo might quickly resurface as a defensive coordinator with another team, but the Bengals wanted better results.