49ers, Bengals already set for offseason hits after playoffs push with NFL coaching carousel in full swing
It was a bad day for half of the remaining teams that woke up on Sunday to Super Bowl hopes. The 49ers and Bengals were axed by the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. As a result, Monday marks the start of a period of change for both championship losers.
According to Peter Schrager on Twitter, the Arizona Cardinals have requested permission to interview defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo for their head coach job. Anarumo has received praise this season and pundits have wondered why the defensive coordinator hasn't received much interest this cycle. However, the Cardinals were quick to move once the team was eliminated.
Will the Houston Texans hire Demeco Ryans as their next head coach?
Simultaneously, 49ers defensive coordinator Demeco Ryans appears to be preparing to leave the team. According to Ian Rapoport of Good Morning Football, the coordinator has emerged as the favorite to become the next head coach of the Houston Texans. The Denver Broncos have expressed interest in Ryans, but the coordinator prefers the southern team.
This just in....
The Cardinals have requested to interview Bengals DC Lou Anarumo for their vacant HC job, per league source.
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49ers and Bengals suffer heart-wrenching defeats on Championship weekend
The San Francisco 49ers came into the weekend with high hopes after an unlikely surge behind Mr. Irrelevant pick Brock Purdy. However, the quarterback's run came to an end. He suffered a hit early in the contest that was reported to have injured his elbow.
From @GMFB: With the #49ers loss, the path is now clear for the #Texans to hire DeMeco Ryans as their new HC; Plus, the #Chargers received permission to speak with Kellen Moore to be their new OC. https://t.co/ZvD7ZEXIxE
He exited the game and fourth-string quarterback Josh Johnson entered the contest. The lowlight of his time in the game came on a dropped snap that turned into a turnover. However, he would not finish the game either due to injury. Brock Purdy was unable to throw but rejoined the game simply to hand the ball off.
At one point, running back Christian McCaffrey took over as the emergency quarterback, but the experiment was short-lived. The 49ers lost 31-7.
In the following game, the Cincinnati Bengals took on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Many, including the Bengals themselves, felt that Joe Burrow had beaten the team enough times that they were going to be able to win once again. However, the team was down for most of the game and although they were able to tie it at 20, the Chiefs had the final laugh by winning 23-20.