The Bengals defensive coordinator made sure to smother the Chiefs and their leader with praise.
Lou Anarumo doesn’t want to be the guy to get the baby GOAT back on track.
Even though Patrick Mahomes is coming off the worst game of his career, the Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive coordinator made sure to be exceedingly positive in his evaluation of the struggling quarterback and the Kansas City Chiefs, saying:
They are the world champs. They have the best quarterback in the league… they’re a prideful group and they’re going to look to get back on track. We have to weather the storm… Our guys will be ready. We’ve won there. We’ve got to be ready to do it again.
That’s right. Not Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. Not Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills. It’s still Mahomes, according to Anarumo.
Mahomes, though, is coming off a game against the lowly Las Vegas Raiders in which he had five turnover-worthy plays, according to Pro Football Focus. That earned him a career-low grade of just 34.2.
Patrick Mahomes’ 34.2 @pff offensive grade vs. Raiders is the worst mark of his career. pic.twitter.com/Z7b2kI4yNu
— Jesse Newell (@jessenewell) December 26, 2023
Not only did he throw a pick-six in that game, but he muffed a handoff that resulted in a defensive touchdown as well.
On the year, Mahomes actually has fewer touchdown passes and more interceptions than Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That’s not something anyone would’ve predicted heading into the season.
But the Bengals are in no position to ignore Mahomes’ half decade of great success, especially coming off a game in which Cincinnati gave up 34 points to a Mason Rudolph-led Pittsburgh Steelers offense.
Can Anarumo pull some more tricks out of his hat and keep Mahomes in check once again? We’ll find out this Sunday at 4:25 PM EST.
We preview that game in the video below:
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