Entering these playoffs, it was evident the Cincinnati Bengals felt slighted by the NFL’s postseason proposal following Damar Hamlin’s collapse from cardiac arrest. Whereas the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills had a guaranteed neutral site AFC title game in Atlanta should both teams have gotten there, the Bengals were awarded no such favors. In fact, if they had lost their final matchup of the regular season, they might not have even had a home playoff game.
After Cincinnati bullied the Bills in a 27-10 divisional-round win during a chaotic snowstorm in Buffalo, Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow made it clear he and his teammates hadn’t forgotten how the NFL apparently overlooked their prospects.
When CBS’s Tracy Wolfson asked Burrow what he thought of the league potentially putting the Chiefs and Bills in Atlanta on Championship Sunday — a contingency plan that was obviously no longer happening — he had the absolute coolest response:
Joe Burrow was asked about the NFL's plans for a neutral site AFC Championship game, and the tickets that were pre-purchase.
“Better send them refunds”
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 22, 2023
Talk about Joe “Cool” delivering an awesome soundbite.
He knew he said something hilarious the moment it left his lips and, in the process, communicated that the Bengals didn’t appreciate being overlooked earlier this month. As Burrow and Co. get set for their second straight AFC title game, no one would dare gloss over the Bengals as a contender anymore.