Cincinnati Bengals D.C. Lou Anarumo Says His Group Is Ready for One of the Best in the League

Awaiting a group of Cincinnati Bengals defensive starters who didn’t do any live tackling in training camp and only had one series of action in the preseason is Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb, who last year rushed for more than 1,000 yards — after contact.

Is Lou Anarumo’s Defense Ready for Nick Chubb?

Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo knows the challenge that awaits Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.

“One of the best backs in the league, if not the best,” he said of Chubb. “Selfless guy. Everybody knows his work ethic. Hard to bring down one on one. He doesn’t fumble. He’s a challenge. You’ve got to gang tackle him. You’ve got to get a lot of hats around him.”

Chubb has topped 1,000 yards rushing four years in a row and came four yards shy of doing it in 2018 as a rookie. His 1,525 yards last year were a career high, and 68.9% of those yards came after being hit.

His 1,050 yards after contact ranked third in the league behind Derrick Henry (1,257) and Josh Jacobs (1,156). Of Chubb’s 1,050, only 78 came against the Bengals, thanks to a Week 14 performance in which Anarumo’s defense held him to 24 yards after contact and 34 yards overall.

“We did a better job against him in the second game last year,” Anarumo said. “But he is certainly a handful.”

Wrapping up and rallying is less of a concern in December than it is in the season opener, when not only have the defensive players gone at least seven months with limited tackling reps, they also haven’t played 50+ snaps in that span.

Anarumo said that’s always a concern in the opener, especially for a defense that had the 12th-highest missed tackle percentage in 2022, but limiting the damage will be the key.

“It’s always a progression. I think hopefully we’ll be better next week than we are on Sunday,” he said. “I hope we don’t miss any, but this is the National Football League. Part of this is guys are going to miss. It’s how they miss, where they miss, and the pursuit coming to help them out.

“There is no perfect player. There are no perfect plays, but you can correct a lot of errors by just getting to the ball and running with effort. That takes no talent, you just run. Hopefully, if we do miss, somebody is coming to help their buddy out.”

MORE: Why Cincinnati Bengals Coach Zac Taylor Never Thinks About His Losing Streak at Cleveland

Chubb forced 83 missed tackles last year, second most in the league, per Pro Football Focus. And his 47 explosive runs (10+ yards) led everyone by a wide margin. Jacobs was the next closest with 41.

In nine career games against the Bengals, Chubb has 797 yards on 157 carries. That 5.1 yards per carry number is high, but it ranks only ninth against teams Chubb has faced more than once.

By the Numbers: @NickChubb21 and @Kareemhunt7 clear 200 yards, help us run away from the Bengals

📋 » https://t.co/Rdwf89NzCz pic.twitter.com/j0lfCXJmRG

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 18, 2020

“Like any great back, you want to keep him running toward the sideline, not toward the goal line, so keep those shoulders sideways,” Anarumo said. “That’s one of the things he does very well, is stick his foot in the ground and get vertical. We’ve got to do a good job in our gap accountability and getting off blocks and, like I said, getting a bunch of hats to the ball.”

Sunday’s game will feature two of the most sure-handed ball carriers in the league in Chubb and the Bengals’ Joe Mixon. Among backs with at least 800 carries since 2018 (Chubb’s draft year), Mixon ranks second in fewest fumbles with three, and Chubb is tied for fifth with seven.

Fewest Fumbles Since 2018 (Minimum 800 Carries)

• Leonard Fournette 1 (864)
• Joe Mixon 3 (1,136)
• Saquon Barkley 4 (954)
• David Montgomery 6 (915)
• Nick Chubb 7 (1,210)
• Christian McCaffrey 7 (1,210)

The Bengals ranked seventh in rush defense last year and only have two new starters in safeties Dax Hill and Nick Scott. But they’ll be the last line of defense if Chubb gets loose on the second level.

“We’ve got nine of 11 starters back, so we’ve got good continuity there,” Anarumo said. “Coming out of the spring, I think Dax and Nick have done a good job. And the guys working around them have gotten a feel for them. While Dax isn’t new — he’s kind of new to that position obviously, starting — I feel good about it. We’ve got a big challenge to go up there. They’re a good football team and a good offense, so we’re looking forward to it.”