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Arizona Cardinals request to interview trending head coaching candidate from Cincinnati Bengals

Arizona Cardinals

After four years with Kliff Kingsbury at the helm, the Arizona Cardinals find themselves searching for a new head coach this offseason. Their quest has led them to interview eight different candidates, but now a new one could be getting a chance.

Now that the Cincinnati Bengals have been eliminated from the playoffs, the Cardinals have requested an interview with their defensive coordinator, Lou Anarumo. They’re the first team to request an interview with the Bengals’ defensive playcaller, but based on his recent performances in the playoffs, they shouldn’t be the only team interested in speaking with the 56-year-old Staten Island native.

Yet, Anarumo isn’t the only Bengals coordinator the Cardinals would like to suddenly speak to. They’ve also reached out to Cincinnati about talking to offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

But Anarumo is the candidate that leaves us fascinated here, especially considering six of the team’s eight candidates have a defensive background, like Anarumo. This may be a signal that the Cardinals are seeking a defensive-minded head coach, going away from Kingsbury’s approach.

So if the Cardinals are the first, and only team to request an interview with Anarumo, what makes Arizona want to speak with the coach now?

Related: Joseph Ossai penalty costs Cincinnati Bengals potential Super Bowl appearance

Lou Anarumo turned heads with Bengals’ defensive playoff performances

NFL: AFC Championship-Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports

Anarumo put his name on the map this season, and his effort was only magnified in the playoffs. A year ago, the Bengals finished 17th in points allowed. This past season their defense clamped down and ranked sixth in points allowed.

Yet, their improvement went largely unnoticed, thanks to Joe Burrow stealing the show, helping the Bengals win eight games in a row to reach the postseason, yet it was Anarumo’s defense that helped limit the Kansas City Chiefs to just 24 points during a Week 13 win. This defensive display only continued once the postseason hit.

When facing Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, Anarumo’s Bengals held the NFL’s second-highest-scoring offense to a season-low 10 points. Then in Kansas City, the Bengals once again make life difficult on one of, if not the best quarterback in football, limiting the highest-scoring offense to just 23 points, at least giving Cincinnati a shot to win.

We hear all the time about how the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, but if you have a defensive coordinator that can continually stifle the game’s best, wouldn’t that arguably be just as valuable as having a franchise QB? Or, imagine having both, like the Bengals? Or even the Cardinals, with a healthy Kyler Murray?

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