The Bengals have fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, offensive line coach Frank Pollack, defensive line coach Marion Hobby, and linebackers coach James Bettcher. These moves come after the defense landed in the bottom half of every statistic. The offensive line gave up another 50+ sack season.
I was told before the game on Saturday that Lou Anarumo was essentially let go after the Week 13 loss to the Steelers. The other coaches don’t come as a surprise, as their respective groups struggled heavily during the season.
Nonetheless, let’s see how the Bengals obtained a 9-8 season.
The Early Season Woes
The Bengals once again started 1-4 with a week one loss to the New England Patriots. Tanner Hudson fumbled at the one yard line and the final score was 16-10. The Bengals turned to the Chiefs the following week. They lost on a last second field goal after a crucial defensive pass interference on 4th and 16. A few weeks later against Baltimore, they bobble the hold in overtime and missed the game winning field goal.
The defense suffered through injuries and Lou Anarumo refused to play the young guys. In my opinion, that is what set the defense back early on. We then learned that Lou Anarumo’s scheme was arguably too complicated for the young guys to grasp. He simplified things before the Cowboys game and the Bengals finished with a 5-game win streak. Guys like Joseph Ossai, Jordan Battle, Geno Stone, Shaka Heyward, and McKinnley Jackson shined in the process.
Ja’Marr Chase | Uno Retro Vintage t shirt – XL, Black
Sizes: XL, Colors: Black
League Leaders in 6 Categories
The Bengals missed the postseason, but not due to their three stars. Joe Burrow lead the league in passing yards with 4,918 and passing touchdowns with 43. He is the third quarterback in NFL history to finish with at least 4,500 yards, 40 touchdowns, and less than 10 interceptions. According to the Bengals, He joins 2011 Aaron Rodgers and 2007 Tom Brady (both won an MVP in their respective seasons).
Trey Hendrickson finished with the league in sacks with 17.5. His season included a 4 sack game with the Raiders and a 3.5 sack game in Pittsburgh in the season finale. It was his second consecutive season with 17.5 sacks and now has 77 career sacks.
Ja’Marr Chase had a historical season in his own right. He is the first receiver in NFL history with at least 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns. Chase is also became the league’s 5th triple crown winner in the Super Bowl era. He lead the league in receiving yards (1,708), receiving touchdowns (17), and receptions (127).
The Outlook for 2025
The Bengals now look forward to the 2025 season with uncertainty regarding their coaching and star WR Tee Higgins. It is my belief that the Bengals will do whatever they can to keep Tee Higgins at least on the 2025 roster. I also think they’ll target a proven coordinator to replace Lou Anarumo. Ja’Marr Chase is in line for a massive payday, but I don’t believe it’ll be until training camp when that transpires.
The Bengals will attack the draft and free agency in hopes to fix their trenches and let everything else fall into place. It’ll be interesting to see what they do and I will have a few mock off seasons posted right here. Thanks for tuning into the 2024 season, hopefully it’s nothing but up from here!
