Change is necessary when it's obvious. The 1-4 Cincinnati Bengals are on track to miss the playoffs for a second consecutive year. The reason why is as clear as day.
It has nothing to do with the offense. Quarterback Joe Burrow is playing like an MVP despite the losing record, and everyone else from the offensive line to the wideouts are pulling their weight for the third-ranked offense in terms of EPA/play.
The defense is where all the blame is rightfully going , and it all starts with the one who coordinates it.
Bengals' problems on defense start at the top
Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is the face of a unit that can't seem to do anything right at the moment. A pass rush that's single-handedly carried by a Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson is operating in front of a back-seven that still lacks any sense of cohesiveness and communication. Successful plays allowed turn into explosive plays far too easily. When selling out to stop the run works, the secondary is left out to dry against the pass, and vice versa.
It's a simple calculus. If one side of the ball is playing red-hot and wins aren't following, the other side of the ball needs drastic attention. The problem for Anarumo is that attention has always been given to his needs. Most of Cincinnati's free agency splashes since 2020 have been made to build his defense. Most of the early draft picks from 2021-2023 were made with the same purpose.
The players in the building are supposed to fit his scheme, and his scheme looks broken. ESPN's Ben Solak put it perfectly earlier this week:
"Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has had a long time to look at this defense since it started to tail off last season. General manager Duke Tobin has drafted a lot of young players to patch the departures from this defense, including Hill, Cam Taylor-Britt, Myles Murphy, Zach Carter, Kris Jenkins Jr. and DJ Turner. Of the Bengals' past nine draft picks in Rounds 1-3, seven have been spent on the defense. I would love to believe big leaps from young players are coming, but I've seen nothing to suggest that. And I would love to claim a schematic innovation could save the roster, but Anarumo has tried everything under the sun. It's tough to find a world where this defense turns things around suddenly and significantly enough to sustain a long winning streak." - ESPN's Ben Solak
There are too many holes for Anarumo to frantically plug, but he has ownership in creating those holes in the first place.
It's been a rough five weeks to say the least. Cincinnati's defense currently ranks 30th in EPA/play allowed and 31st in success rate allowed. They've also faced the only two offenses that can claim to be better than them (not including Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs) and that's not just because they played Cincinnati for one week.
The Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens are legit foes that poured it on against Cincinnati. Neither team had to face a fully-stocked Bengals pass rush or defensive tackle rotation. One could give Anarumo a smidgeon of a pass for taking on tall tasks early on while parts of his defense have been battered with injuries.
But the turbulence has passed, and health has now been restored for his platoons . If there was ever a time for Anarumo and the Bengals' defense to step up, it's right freaking now. His job should depend on it.
Lou Anarumo needs to get off the hot seat in a hurry
Urgency is at an all-time high with three wins needed to get back to .500, and the upcoming schedule for Cincinnati bodes well for a defensive turnaround. Before another meeting against the Ravens in Week 10, the Bengals will face three of the bottom-11 offenses in terms of EPA/play with a home game against middle-of-the-pack Philadelphia Eagles sandwiched in the middle.
| (Week) Matchup | EPA/Play ranking |
|---|
(Wk 6) @ New York Giants | 22nd |
(Wk 7) @ Cleveland Browns | 32nd |
(Wk 8) vs Philadelphia Eagles | 13th |
(Wk 9) vs Las Vegas Raiders | 29th |
There are no juggernauts on tap for a while. Far from it, actually. Allowing 38 and 41 points to the Commanders and Ravens, respectively, may be excusable towards season's end if those teams keep up their current pace. The idea of giving up 30+ points to either the Browns or Raiders simply boggles the mind.
Doing so would only expedite the heat rising underneath Anarumo's chair, and rightfully so.
This is it, really. The Bengals can only climb back into the playoff race by winning more games than not in the next month. They cannot accomplish that without the defense taking major leaps of improvement.
If Anarumo can't turn things around starting now, his days in Cincinnati should absolutely be numbered.
Related: Former Bengals player tells revealing story of past upset win over Giants involving A.J. Green
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