The Kansas City Chiefs’ quest for a third consecutive Super Bowl victory is officially on.
After ending the season with a 15-2 record, the defending back-to-back champions will enter the NFL postseason as the AFC’s No. 1 seed, which comes with a first-round bye. Although the conference boasts several threats that could be an obstacle in the Chiefs’ path, one team that they won’t have to worry about is the Cincinnati Bengals.
Joe Burrow & Co. won’t be participating in the playoffs after going 9-8 during the regular season. That’s great news for the Chiefs, who’ve had their fair share of headaches from the Bengals in recent years.
The Bengals have enough talent to bounce back next year, however, they’ll have to do it without a certain coach who has frustrated the Kansas City fanbase.
“Black Monday” — the first day after the NFL regular season — usually sees several coaches losing their jobs. The annual tradition continued this year and Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is one of the latest names to be fired, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
The Bengals have fired DC Lou Anarumo, per source.
Anarumo, who has held the position since 2019, oversaw a defense that finished in the bottom half of the league in yards and points per game allowed. pic.twitter.com/3bQ3d5iGwO
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 6, 2025
After gaining experience in smaller coaching roles with the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants, the Bengals hired Anarumo to be head coach Zac Taylor’s defensive coordinator ahead of the 2019 season. Cincinnati’s defense slowly improved with each passing season under the Staten Island native’s watch, including when the team gave up just 20.1 PPG in 2022 (T-6th).
The Bengals’ defensive play has trended in the wrong direction since then, though. They likely would’ve achieved more during the 2024 season had they not given up 25.5 PPG (T-25th), leading to Anarumo’s ultimate dismissal.
Although Bengals fans will likely miss Anarumo, the Chiefs fanbase won’t.
Since the 58-year-old took over the DC job in Cincinnati, the Chiefs only went 3-3 across six meetings with the Bengals. That includes when Andy Reid & Co. were limited to just three second-half points when they fell 27-24 in overtime to the Bengals during the 2021-22 AFC Championship Game.
Having said that, the Chiefs have beaten the Bengals three straight times since then, including a 26-25 win back in Week 2. Only time will tell if Taylor’s next DC can replicate the same defensive success Anarumo found against Kansas City.
As the Bengals mourn Anarumo’s departure, the Chiefs will celebrate the fact that they’re heading into the NFL postseason with the second-best odds to win Super Bowl LIX (+370) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
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