By Jordan Long
The Cincinnati Bengals were embarrassed yesterday by the New Orleans Saints 51-14, falling to 5-4 on the year. Cincinnati is hitting the panic button even though they are still in position to make the playoffs as 1 of the 2 Wild Card teams. They decided their struggles this season were on Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin.
Austin was hired to take over the defense on January 8th, 2018. This was after Paul Guenther decided to join the Oakland Raiders as their Defensive Coordinator. Austin was hoping his defense could create pressure and stop opponents’ offense from scoring.
It didn’t work out. His defense allowed 30 points or more 5 out of 9 games this season, not a recipe for success. Cincinnati was one of the worst defenses in the NFL so far this year. They gave up an average of 32 points per game, 31st in the NFL. Teams are gaining 454.6 yards per game on this defense, last in the NFL. Opponents’ are moving the ball at will either on the ground or through the air. Teams throw for an average of 313.3 yards and run the ball for 141.2 yards per game. Looking at that, the Bengals are lucky not to be worse than 5-4. Cincinnati isn’t creating the pressure they hoped for with 21 sacks.
The final straw came this weekend. They gave up 51 points to one of the top offenses in the league. The Bengals were doing a decent job containing Drew Brees from passing the football. Brees ended up with 265 yards passing, but Cincinnati was unable to stop the Saints from running the ball. The Saints gained 244 yards on the ground, averaging an impressive 5.2 yards per carry.
Austin didn’t seem to adjust during games and it cost him his job. The Bengals know the only way they are going to make a push to the postseason is if the defense improves. It hadn’t in 9 games. Head Coach Marvin Lewis will take over the defense and call their plays. The defense must stop teams from gaining yards at will. They can’t keep letting teams score in the red zone. If they can, they might be able to make a Wild Card spot. If Lewis can’t turn around the defense, the Bengals will not make the playoffs and Cincinnati could be looking for a new head coach.
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