Giving up 51 points to the Saints has cost Bengals defensive coordinator Teryl Austin his job.
Austin has been fired this morning, Josina Anderson of ESPN reports.
This was Austin’s first season as the Bengals’ defensive coordinator after spending the last four years as the Lions’ defensive coordinator. He has been mentioned in the past as a head-coaching candidate, but this year the Bengals’ defense has been a mess, and head coach Marvin Lewis has decided that it’s time to make a change.
Despite the ugly defense, the Bengals are 5-4 and still in the thick of the playoff race. Lewis himself will likely take a more direct role in coaching the defense for the rest of the season, as the Bengals try to find their way to the postseason.
