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CINCINNATI (AP) — Marvin Lewis got the Bengals‘ head coaching job because of his reputation for defensive excellence. He’s now in charge of trying to resuscitate a historically bad unit and pulling Cincinnati’s season back from the brink.The Bengals fired defensive coordinator Teryl Austin on Monday Marcus Davenport Jersey White , a day after a 51-14 loss to the Saints that ranks among the worst in franchise history. New Orleans scored on every possession except the last one — when it took a knee while in field-goal range — during its rout at Paul Brown Stadium.The fading Bengals (5-4) fired a coordinator in midstream for the second season in a row. And it’s up to Lewis to get hands-on and try to fix the mess while filling two roles at once.“Teryl worked very hard, but I just felt like we have to rock their world, shake things up,” Lewis said.The timing was curious. The Bengals were coming off their bye week that would have given them time to adapt to a change at coordinator. Now, they’re changing on the fly while getting ready for a pivotal AFC North game at Baltimore (4-5) on Sunday.Lewis made another interesting move, re-hiring fired Browns coach Hue Jackson, who served as his offensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015. Jackson, who was dismissed by Cleveland on Oct. 29 after winning just three games in two-plus seasons, will take on an unspecified role within Lewis’ staff, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Monday night.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced Jackson’s addition.The Bengals host the Browns on Nov. 25.Lewis took the defense aside a few times on Sunday, trying to clear up confusion. While he won’t change the defensive schemes, he’ll try to bring more clarity to players’ responsibilities.“They want help: ‘Give me something,'” Lewis said.The Bengals have given up at least 500 yards in three straight games — a first in the Super Bowl era — and are on pace to give up an NFL record for yards in a season . In the past four games, Cincinnati has allowed 481 Marshon Lattimore Jersey White , 551, 576 and 509 yards.Lewis has one thing in his favor: The schedule is far more favorable the rest of the way.Cincinnati has faced six offenses currently ranked in the league’s Top 10 — Tampa Bay (No. 1), Kansas City (3), Pittsburgh (4), New Orleans (5), Atlanta (6) and Indianapolis (9). Only two are left on the schedule: the Chargers (8) and the Steelers again.With three losses in the past four games, Cincinnati has fallen from first place to trailing Pittsburgh (6-2-1) by two games in the loss column. They can’t afford to fall any further behind, which was a factor in the firing.“They’re trying to get things fixed now,” defensive end Carlos Dunlap said. “If you weren’t paying attention, you’re paying attention now.”It’s the second time during his 16-season tenure in Cincinnati that Lewis has gotten directly involved in the defense.The Bengals hired him in 2003 in large part because of his reputation for defensive coaching — he coordinated the Ravens’ Super Bowl-championship defense in the 2000 season. Defense has been a regular challenge during his tenure.Lewis became so frustrated with the defense in 2004 that he took over play-calling from coordinator Leslie Frazier during a game against Cleveland. The Bengals lost 34-17 and Lewis left the defense in Frazier’s hands the rest of the way, and then fired him after the season.Now, he’s back in charge.“We’re not playing well, so something had to change,” safety Jessie Bates said.Lewis hired Austin from Detroit after defensive coordinator Paul Guenther left to join Jon Gruden with the Raiders. The Bengals gave up a lot of yards while opening the season 4-1 https://www.thesaint...ew-brees-jersey , with the defense scoring four touchdowns off fumble and interception returns to overcome the poor showings overall.With injuries sapping the defense during a stretch of games against the NFL’s top offenses, the unit imploded. The Saints scored touchdowns on all five first-half possessions Sunday, and moved the ball easily even when they were running out the clock in the fourth quarter.The Bengals matched the club record by giving up 28 points in the second quarter. The 51 points allowed were one shy of the club record.Austin is the fourth coordinator fired in the NFL this season. Tampa Bay fired defensive coordinator Mike Smith, Arizona fired offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, and the Browns fired head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley.Jackson has a close relationship with Lewis, who has declined to discuss whether he’d bring him back to Cincinnati. Jackson coached on both offense and defense in Cincinnati.Last year, the Bengals fired offensive coordinator Ken Zampese after an 0-2 start, but the Bengals missed out on the playoffs for the second year in a row. Lewis got a two-year contract extension after the season even though he’s 0-7 in the playoffs — an NFL record for futility. METAIRIE, La. (AP) — In his 18th NFL season and less than two months from turning 40, Saints veteran quarterback Drew Brees has exhibited a knack for connecting with young people recently.Or, to be more specific, the young receivers on New Orleans’ roster.Brees’ four touchdown passes last week to four former undrafted free agents , who’d all turned pro within the past three years, was the latest instance of what has been an increasingly encouraging sign for New Orleans during its 10-game winning streak. Relatively young Womens Marshon Lattimore Jersey , inexperienced receivers are winning their record-setting QB’s trust and getting in the end zone.Four Saints have caught their first career touchdowns this season, among them: receivers Tre’Quan Smith, Austin Carr and Keith Kirkwood, and tight end Dan Arnold. Smith, a third-round selection out of mid-major UCF, is the only one among them who was drafted.The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Arnold was a Division III college receiver who has been transformed into an NFL tight end since turning pro in 2017, but never played before this season. The 6-3 Kirkwood, who spent most of his youth focused on basketball, didn’t start playing football until his senior year of high school and was signed as an undrafted rookie out of Temple. Carr is in his second season after being undrafted out of Northwestern. He played in one game last season without a catch.All of them have played prominent roles in the Saints’ offense in recent weeks, along with Smith, who two games ago caught 10 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown.Arnold’s first-career touchdown came on a 25-yard throw down the middle in which he leaped with arms outstretched to grab it and came crashing down in the end zone. Recalling the explosion of noise in the Superdome and celebrating teammates converging on him, he said, “Surreal is the perfect word to describe it.”“It’s really cool just to look back and think of how far you’ve come Alvin Kamara Jersey White ,” he said.Arnold was inactive the first four games and made his first two catches at Baltimore in Week 7. He then caught two passes apiece against Cincinnati and Philadelphia before his career-high four catches for 45 yards and a TD last week against Atlanta.Saints coach Sean Payton said Arnold was “big for a receiver, yet he came in here and made a good impression … we felt like he could make that switch (to tight end). He’s done a really good job.”Kirkwood made a diving catch on a low throw for his maiden TD, something he said he never envisioned when he was playing youth basketball with or against players such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Wade Baldwin, Malachi Richardson and Deandre Bembry, who all wound up in the NBA.“I was a basketball fanatic. That was my thing growing up,” said Kirkwood, who spent the first half of the season on the practice squad before making his NFL debut three games ago in Cincinnati. “To come out and be this guy that no one thought I was in football is just a great experience and accomplishment for me, but it’s something that a lot of guys back home and around the world can feed off of. … You know, there’s not just one sport in life. Go out and try as many things as you can and you never know what you’ll be successful at.”Kirkwood now has six catches, including a 42-yarder against the Bengals.Carr has played all season and has just nine catches for 97 yards, but his touchdowns of 3 and 12 yards in the past two games indicates the confidence the Saints have in him in red-zone situations, when defenses are keying on the Saints’ more established skill players such as receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara.“You have definitely seen teams try and neutralize Alvin and Mike,” Carr said Womens Tre'Quan Smith Jersey , calling the recent surge in scoring passes to him and other less-heralded targets “a testament to the depth and development of the younger guys.”Kirkwood said greener Saints receivers have developed chemistry with Brees quickly because they regard him as a “football guru” whose lead they are eager to follow.Arnold credited Brees’ hands-on approach to developing potential targets.“He works at a very, very high level, but he also helps you,” Arnold said. “Drew definitely works well with the younger players. He expects things a certain way, but he tells you how to get there. … He teaches it really well.”Notes: Saints LT Terron Armstead remained out of practice with a pectoral injury that as caused him to miss the past two games. … Arnold (chest), Smith (toe), defensive end Marcus Davenport (toe), kicker Wil Lutz (back), guard Andrus Peat (shoulder) and defensive back P.J. Williams (hip) all practiced on a limited basis.