Bengals hint at getting Ravens back for perceived dirty play

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Ja’Marr Chase got the question Wednesday about some alleged post-whistle shenanigans during the Bengals 27-16 win over the Ravens last weekend.

Asked whether it bothered him, Chase smirked, shook his head and, with all body language suggesting otherwise, answered: “Nah.”

A different locker room might have turned it into a story heading into the wild-card rematch, but few Bengals players took the bait during media availability.

It was absolutely a story coming out of last week’s game. Fans and players alike criticized the Ravens for perceived dirty play as well as the officials for supposedly missing it. [Videos]

Especially irksome was the facemask against quarterback Joe Burrow—oof—in the third quarter on a play where Burrow fumbled inside the Bengals’ five yard line.

That missed call, at least in the minds of fans, seemed to validate a trend.

Back in the first quarter, wide receiver Tyler Boyd was running the deeper route of a high-low concept against cover-2. Burrow overthrew him, and Boyd got lit up out of bounds.

In the second, Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith body-slammed Ja’Marr Chase into the ground. In the third, Chase was body-slammed again, this time by Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton with Smith there as well. A possible hit to Chase’s head happened minutes later with Smith wrapped around his waist.

Ravens cornerback Daryl Worley’s hard hit to the gut of wide receiver Tee Higgins drew gasps from the crowd and knocked Higgins out for a play. And then there was this:

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, usually mild-mannered, was visibly apoplectic on the sidelines at least twice.

Defensive tackle and team leader D.J. Reader wouldn’t get into specifics postgame. He said simply, “They know, we know.”

Rookie cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt showed no such restraint. “There was a lot of cheap s*** going on,” he said. “Just know that we owe them. Even though we won this s***, we owe them.”

Strong words. Fighting words. But emotions are high right after the players leave the field, and it remained to be seen whether the Bengals would take all that tinder and set it ablaze.

No dice. Taylor sidestepped the question on Monday. “I think these divisional games are always hard-fought games, and that’s just the way it goes,” he said.

Cornerback Mike Hilton acknowledged the situation but dismissed it: “If that’s what they’ve got to do to hype themselves up, it’s whatever. We just go out and perform. That’s on them. We play football.”

Ja’Marr Chase singled out Roquan Smith as “the only one doing messy stuff.”

Asked about a specific play where Burrow missed Chase in the end zone and some extracurricular activity ensued, Chase said of Smith, “He did that on purpose. That’s alright, we’ve got something for that.”

And with that barest hint of retribution, Chase moved on, leaving the rest for us to infer from the dregs of body language and what, if anything, happens next Sunday after the whistle.

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