‘Black Monday’ has taken a surreal turn. The story of the 2024 Cincinnati Bengals was a rare one. It is unprecedented to see a quarterback play at an MVP caliber level, like Joe Burrow did, and his team miss the playoffs completely.
Someone had to pay the ultimate price, and it was clear that would be defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. He was not alone.
Anarumo was sent packing 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 tumble back down to earth for a highly regarded assistant who was praised for the job he did on the 2021 AFC championship Bengals who lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl. Anarumo was a sought-after candidate got some head-coaching consideration after that season. Then things took a turn for the worse and the Bengals went 9-8 this season, missing the playoffs despite Burrow leading the NFL in passing yards and touchdown passes. A glaring issue was a defense that could not stop a nose bleed, finishing 25th in yards and points allowed.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnarumo had been the Bengals’ defensive coordinator since 2019, and was respected around the league for his complex schemes. The Bengals had success against three-time champion 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 on hard times in the past two seasons. The Bengals finished 31st in yards allowed in 2023. The 2024 season still left a lot to be desired.
Burrow led the NFL with 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns, but that was not enough to insure themselves a playoff spot with the Denver Broncos shutting out the Chiefs 38-0. That put a lot of heat on Anarumo. The Bengals decided to fire him and other assistants after missing the playoffs. Anarumo most likely will not be out of work for long, resurfacing as a coordinator with another team, but the Bengals wanted better results.
