Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals fell just short of reaching the Super Bowl again this past season, but the AFC runner-ups have a significant advantage over 31 other teams. In a word: Continuity.
As pointed out by Jay Morrison of The Athletic, The Bengals will be the only team in 2023 to have employed the same head coach (Zac Taylor), offensive coordinator (Brian Callahan) and defensive coordinator (Lou Anarumo) together since the 2019 season.
The Kansas City Chiefs lost offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who left to take the same position for the Washington Commanders. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was hired for the position in 2019, and head coach Andy Reid has been in KC since 2013.
It’s simply remarkable that the Bengals have been able to retain this staff together over the past four years. Elite teams often lose top assistants to head coaching jobs. Just look at how many assistants under Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams), Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers) and Bill Belichick (New England Patriots), have gone on to land head coaching positions.
The Bengals certainly won’t complain about continuity. Taylor, Callahan and Anarumo nearly helped the Bengals to the franchise’s first Super Bowl last year, and to another appearance this past season. With these three together again, the Bengals’ odds of finally claiming the Lombardi Trophy are as good as ever.
