With the notable exception of quarterback Joe Burrow, everyone in the Cincinnati Bengals locker room was understandably elated after Sunday’s 41-24 victory over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders.
Not only was it Cincinnati’s fourth win in its last six games, but a defense that had struggled amid the Bengals’ 0-3 start to the season was finally showing signs of progress.
“You guys responded the right way,” jubilant head coach Zac Taylor told his team afterward, as seen in postgame locker room footage shared on the team’s X Page. ‘Defense, after that first trip, you guys took refuge, man. You guys took cover and shut them down for the rest of the game.
Burrow was brilliant as always, throwing five touchdowns. He even earned a game ball from Taylor, who was seen throwing it to his quarterback just off the screen.
Only, as many fans were quick to notice, the ball was immediately thrown back in Taylor’s general direction and into the hands of a nearby equipment manager.
No, Joe Burrow wasn’t in the mood to celebrate after Sunday’s win over the visiting Raiders.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor and his players were in a celebrating mood after Sunday’s victory.
—Did Burrow return the ball to the game? asked a fan on X.
Another added that “Burrow didn’t (sic) want the ball.”
A Bengals spokeswoman did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for more information.
The possibility remains that Burrow was giving the memento to an equipment manager for safekeeping, but the quarterback’s demeanor after the game suggests he wasn’t interested in commemorating a performance he was dissatisfied with.
All the fans noticed the same thing after the locker room celebration in Cincinnati.
“Get your damn bodies right, get your minds right,” Burrow yelled at his teammates in the locker room, referring to Thursday’s game against rival Baltimore. “Thursday will be big.”
Despite scoring 41 points on Sunday, Burrow felt the offense actually underperformed.
“There were some mental lapses in the third quarter that we have to correct,” Burrow said, quoted by Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic.
“There’s a combination of things that I felt we didn’t do well enough,” Burrow said. ‘I’m going to have my level of play. I’m going to have my idea of the standard that we have to meet as an offense and as a coaching staff, myself and everyone. When I feel we’re up to par, I’ll let us know. When I feel we are not up to par, I will let us know too.
‘Good and bad today. There is no time to sit and think about the good things we had today.
