It is safe to say that the Cincinnati Bengals were playing with something of a chip on their shoulder as they took on the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo this past weekend. After the Damar Hamlin incident led to the game between the two squads being canceled earlier in the year – and with the important note that Hamlin seems to be well and truly on his way to recovery – the Bengals took their role as the underdog and ran with it. Burrow and his Bengals dominated in all aspects of their 27-10 win over the Bills, setting up an AFC Championship Game showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs for the second year in a row.
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Shortly after the game, in an on-field interview, Burrow decided to drop the mic.
Joe Burrow was asked about the NFL's plans for a neutral site AFC Championship game, and the tickets that were pre-purchase.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 22, 2023
“Better send them refunds”
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Burrow was, of course, referring to the fact that if the Bills had beaten the Bengals, then the AFC Championship Game would have been held on a neutral site in Atlanta. Additionally, the NFL started selling those tickets on Wednesday, selling 50,000 tickets in one day per an NFL Tweet. The Chiefs were heavily favored to beat the Jags – which they did – but the difference between the Bills and the red-hot Bengals was much more narrow. This meant that Bengals players were furious that the league would slight them this way, selling tickets to a game they wouldn’t be in and assuming the Bills would take care of them on Sunday.
This underdog mentality is one the Bengals have been playing with since Burrow arrived in Cincinnati. This team was just minutes from winning the Super Bowl last year, so their ability to paint themselves as the lucky team here is actually pretty impressive. This is a bye product of their decades of losing. Still, eventually, the tide will turn. It will be interesting to see how Burrow and his teammates deal with the expectation of winning that is sure to come with back-to-back AFC Championship appearances and potentially back-to-back Super Bowl visits.
For now, the label works. Burrow just had to ensure that the NFL realized that on Sunday evening.
Always remember, Joe Burrow is the Bengal King. Geaux Burrow!!
