Marvin Lewis said he felt like he had to "rock their world, shake things up," for Cincinnati Bengals defenders following the 51-14 loss Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

That was the first step Monday morning when Lewis made the decision to dismiss defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.

Mission accomplished.

"If you weren't paying attention, you are now," said defensive end Carlos Dunlap. "Not that we aren't paying attention, but it wakes you up. There's a sense of urgency. ... I don't think nobody expected to come in or go to sleep with that news this morning. That was definitely a shocker.

"There's nothing comforting about what happened this morning. We don't want anybody to be comfortable. We want guys to be on the edge of their seats, challenge everyone to do better. As players we can control what we can control, and that's playing better."

MORE: Bengals fire DC Teryl Austin, Marvin Lewis takes over

Dunlap said Lewis "put his foot down," in a meeting on Monday to set the tone. What the defense does on the field this Sunday at Baltimore and moving forward will be under the direction of Lewis, who will assume playcalling duties for the first-time in his 16-year tenure in Cincinnati.

Of course, Lewis has plenty of experience calling a defense. He did so for seven seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins. But that was a long time ago. Rookie safety Jessie Bates was a month shy of his fourth birthday when Lewis was the defensive coordinator in the Ravens' 2001 Super Bowl victory.

Bates, the Bengals leading tackler, said Lewis' message on Monday was positive.

"I think he did a really good job of not being so tight in the defensive team meeting and kind of just letting us know how he's going to call things," Bates said. "We just have to get it right and play a full game for once."

Austin, hired in the offseason to replace Paul Guenther, was relieved of his duties following the third consecutive game the Bengals allowed 500-plus yards. The defense, thought to be the team's strength entering the season, ranks last in points per game, total yards and passing yards allowed and next-to-last in rushing yards given up.

DOC: Why did the Cincinnati Bengals hire Teryl Austin in the first place?

"We had to make a change," Lewis said. "Everybody in this building is responsible for that change. We’re all part of it."

Specific changes have yet to be determined.

But, according to Dunlap, Lewis is, "not going to change the defense. It's just going to be called differently. The core of the defense is here. It's still going to be a 4-3 defense. He doesn't have any aspirations of changing that. He's just going to call things differently. He's going to put his twist on it."

The Bengals should get injured starters Nick Vigil, Vontaze Burfict and Darqueze Dennard back at some point. And the string of good and/or above average offenses the Bengals faced through the first 10 weeks – New Orleans, Kansas City, Atlanta, Carolina, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay among them – won't be matched the rest of the way in November and December.

That has helped Lewis build the case that goals are still obtainable. He referenced where the Bengals are at in a press conference immediately following Sunday's game and in another roughly 24 hours later. The Bengals are in good position for an AFC Wild Card spot and sit one game back of the Steelers in the AFC North standings.

"If we take care of Baltimore, we're still taking care of our business and have a chance for the AFC conference championship, winning the conference, winning the division," Dunlap said.

Dunlap, an eight-year veteran who consistently speaks to the media in good times and bad, said the decision to fire Austin didn't make him happy. But Dunlap said he liked the urgency the move displayed.

"That let's me know that we want to fix it now," he said.

When Dunlap was drafted in 2010, he said people told him he would enjoy playing for a defensive-minded head coach.

Eight seasons later, Dunlap and the rest of the Bengals get to see what a Lewis-led defense is really about.

"He's always had that presence for us, defensive wise," Dunlap said. "Now he's got the actual reins. Now I look forward to seeing how it plays out."