Lou Anarumo has ended his tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals after six seasons as the teamās defensive coordinator. His work helped the franchise reach the playoffs on a couple of occasions, but recently, his defense wasnāt complementing the strong performance of Joe Burrow and the offense.
According to information revealed by Ari Meirov, Anarumo will continue his professional career with the Indianapolis Colts, meaning he will move to the AFC South, where the Texans, Jaguars, and Titans play. He will have to adjust his strategies, as he wonāt have the same weapons he had with the Bengals.
Joe Burrow might be grateful to Anarumo, as the defensive schemes he put in place helped Burrow lead the team to the Super Bowl in 2021 and the AFC Championship in 2022. However, the last two seasons were disappointing for the Bengalsā defense.
Despite the 2023 and 2024 seasons finishing with a winning record of 9-8 in both years, it was only in the most recent season that the Bengals, with Anarumoās defense, managed to avoid the last spot in the division standings. They also allowed the most points in a single season under his tenure as defensive coordinator, giving up a total of 434 points since 2019.
The Bengalsā defensive weakness in 2024
Overall, the defense was poor, ranking 25th worst among all teams, allowing an average of 25.5 points per game. They also gave up 30 touchdowns, 2,122 rushing yards, and 4.4 yards per carry, which was like a spear piercing through Anarumoās defensive line.
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Burrow saved the day with the offense
Despite the poor performance from the defensive line during the 2024 season, Joe Burrow led the offense with an average of 7.5 yards per pass attempt. By the end of the year, he accumulated 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns, marking his best season in both categories and several others.
