3 ways Bengals can extend their championship window in a lost season

3. They might be able to retain Lou Anarumo

Just a few weeks ago, it felt like a foregone conclusion that Lou Anarumo would be hired away for a vacant head coaching job. The defense was back to its usual smothering self and making life miserable for opposing offenses so yeah, a lot of fans were thinking that he'd be getting hired elsewhere at the end of the season.

Well, the defense has not been perfoming as well here recently. They surrendered 34 points to the Ravens in the Thursday night loss and another 30 just days before in the loss to the Texans. They've been porous against the run, making it clear that this defense isn't as solid as it once was.

If the defense keeps up the poor performance paired with a poor overall season, it's a little less likely that another team will be interested in hiring Anarumo to lead their team. He's also 57 years old so he'd be one of the older head coaches in the league if hired.

If Anarumo sticks around past this season, there's no reason the defense can't pick up where it left off in 2022 (and at times in 2023). That'd be a huge win for this team and would help their championsip window stay open.