Joe Burrow clearly wasn’t happy after the Bengals’ win. Caught on the sideline in a brief lip-read exchange, he called the performance “embarrassing” and said they should’ve beaten their opponents by a wide margin, possibly “by 80.” That number may have been exaggerated out of frustration, or he could’ve been referring to their 6-8 record. Either way, the message was clear: he didn’t think their performance matched their expectations.
The game wasn’t clean. There were multiple moments that could have triggered Burrow’s comment. A bad fumble before the end zone led to a touchback, and despite a recovery, the ball carrier celebrated, only to be met with disapproval from teammates. A fourth-and-five situation had confusion at the line, with Burrow trying to draw the defense offsides, but no one snapped the ball in time. Coaches were visibly annoyed, and one offensive lineman didn’t even raise his hands to sell the penalty.
The final offensive drive was full of penalties, including a delay of game and false starts. Tight end Cam Grandy had a rough series and was nearly called for his third penalty of the day, though a teammate bailed him out by drawing the flag instead. Even after scoring to go up by 10, Burrow didn’t join the celebrations. He went straight to the bench and made it clear to his coach that the sloppy execution was unacceptable. His frustration summed up what was an unsatisfying win filled with mistakes and missed opportunities.