Bengals Players React After Overtime Loss to Ravens
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00:00You know, I can't put the blame on nobody, you know, it was a team effort and we just got to be better and come out with a W.
00:06We did what we could and we thought, you know, we was going to be able to, you know, get enough field goal range for Evan to make that.
00:12I don't know what happened right there, usually money, but it's sickening, for real.
00:17That's like my final thought on what happened out there, but I mean, we're putting up a lot of points.
00:28Obviously, a lot of things to learn from, but what we're going to do is we're going to rally up, we're going to stick together and control the control.
00:36Okay, let's talk about now you guys get the fumble recovery and over time, you're set up in good field position.
00:41Is the thought there to keep the ball on the ground, get as many yards as you can and try to set up a field goal?
00:47Well, that's field goal range for Evan, so we all had 100% confidence in him making that field goal.
00:55I didn't really see exactly what happened, but it looked like it got blocked or something. I didn't really see what happened there.
01:00You guys and so many of your losses are just a play away, a play away here from coming away with a win.
01:05What is it that's preventing you guys from getting that final play to win?
01:08Good question. Really good question, yeah.
01:14I mean, we just got to keep on putting points up on the board as an offense and that's what we can control.
01:20I hate for it to end the way it did. I wish I could come through and kind of hesitate there and still put a good hint on it.
01:27It actually ended up going pretty far, but it's just an unfortunate event. It won't happen again from these guys.
01:34I know that we worked so hard, too hard for that to happen.
01:37And I just hate that I couldn't come through for the team in that situation because they played a really tough game back and forth.
01:45It's a terrible feeling when you can't come through like that at the end.
01:49Is that why we feel lousy for Ryan and it's unfortunate for him this early in his career?
01:54Yeah, no. I'm really proud of Ryan. He's done a really good job holding and I have full trust in him.
02:02Whether he drops it or if it's perfect, I think that I should make every kick.
02:10None of that should be put on Ryan or Cal or anything. If anything, I didn't put the ball through the upright, so I think it all has got to fall on me.
02:17Any thought on the offensive strategy there at the end, more or less saying, okay, 53 is fine?
02:24We had a pretty good wind going that way. It was kind of crossed, but it was more so towards our tunnel.
02:30We had a good feeling from long distance going that way, so you don't want to risk putting the ball up in the air or getting an interception.
02:37Usually the game plan for getting a field goal is run the ball, get as close as you can, but ultimately just hang on to the ball so we can get the field goal attempt.
02:46We saw you mix in a couple of different kickoffs, including one that resulted in an out-of-bounds situation at the 8.
02:52Is that something you kind of had in your back pocket?
02:54Yeah. Like I said, with this new kickoff rule, you get to have a bunch of different special kickoffs to kind of throw off the returner again to not handle the ball as clean.
03:04So we work on those. That one specifically wasn't my best hit, but it ended up working out.
03:11The headlines, of course, will focus on the loss, but the way that Joe Burrow has been playing thanks to his offensive line,
03:20I mean, five touchdowns today, almost 400 yards of passing. I mean, we just speak on the level of play that he's at right now.
03:27Yeah. I mean, man, I'm sick for Joe Burrow. I mean, he comes into work every day with a mindset and a focus and intensity to be the best player in the world.
03:35And that shows up on Sundays. You know, he works his tail off in the offseason.
03:39And, you know, I'm sick for him, man, because he's done everything right.
03:43And, you know, we got to do a better job of closing, man, for him.
03:48You know what I mean? And doing a better job as a team, playing complimentary football when we need to.
03:54But, man, I mean, Joe's playing lights out, man.
03:56Joe said he was going to be more vocal. Has he been more vocal? And has that changed anything in here?
04:01I feel like he's kind of always been vocal, and he's always done a great job of that.
04:04And I think what you're seeing is just the work that we've put in this offseason and throughout training camp and during the week.
04:11It's one of the reasons he's been able to be so successful.
04:13You know, I'm very angry at the fact that, you know, we're so close. But at the end of the day, it is what it is. We have to move on.
04:19Where does your mentality go knowing there's still a lot of season left to play and you guys just have to put it together in the final minutes?
04:25At the end of the day, we have a game next week. We've got to get ready for it and go out there and win it. So, you know, on to the next.
04:30Well, I'd say the tail of the tape is we're the would-be Kings.
04:33We're four possessions away from having a great record, but we're not. And that's the reality of this league.
04:38So, you know, we've got to find it within ourselves to finish these games, make a play when we need it, and, you know, good on the Ravens.
04:45They made it, and we didn't.
04:46You know, we've been doing what, you know, what we're going out there coached to do.
04:50Joe's executing at a high level, but we all got to turn it up a notch because we're not winning games.
04:55So, you know, we've got to really self-assess. We've got a full week to prepare for the New York Giants.
05:02And, you know, you know, stats are great, but when you don't win, it doesn't feel very good.
05:09It almost gets you nothing, though, in the NFL. And that's where we're at right now.
05:12We've got to turn almost into yes. And, you know, that's what we're going to be focused on.
05:17We've got to have a good week of practice.
05:18You know, like I said earlier, it's like 15 points, you know, would-be Kings, and that sucks.
05:25So, you know, we're in it, and we've got to dig our way out of this and start turning those final plays of the game in our favor.