‘As frustrating (loss) as I have had.’ Bengals on falling short against Chiefs

Television cameras showed Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow grabbing his helmet Sunday and preparing to take the field to close out a win over the Chiefs.

Instead, Bengals defensive back Daijahn Anthony was called for pass interference on a fourth-and-16 play , allowing the Chiefs to keep the ball and eventually kick a game-winning field goal. That gave the Chiefs a 26-25 win over Cincinnati at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

When asked about how frustrating the defeat was to him, Burrow told reporters: “As frustrating as I have had.”

Bengals coach Zac Taylor didn’t pin Sunday’s loss on the officials, although one former player did .

“It is one of those plays where we may benefit from it at some point in the season,” Taylor told reporters. “That is what I told the guys. They are calling it like they see it. I thought they called a very fair game. They saw that as a penalty and they called it a penalty. Our defense still did a great job not giving them any yards after that. I was proud of the way they kept battling because that is an emotional kick on fourth-and-1.

“They came out and got three really good stops. They have a really good kicker (Harrison Butker). That is what the game comes down to.”

Burrow was asked why games against the Chiefs seem to always go down to the wire.

“Two great teams that give it their all,” he said. “That’s usually a recipe for a pretty good game.”

Although it’s only Week 2 of the season, Bengals safety Vonn Bell said Sunday’s game felt like the postseason.

The crowd of 73,558 was in full throat.

“There are a lot of positives on film , but we’ve got to complete the job and finish,” Bell said, per the Cincinnati Enquirer. “It’s frustrating. Especially in this high environment. It felt like a playoff environment. You’ve got to finish and find a way.”

Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase declined to talk about his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. And he kept his answers short when talking with reporters.

Former Chiefs offensive lineman Orlando Brown said there were no moral victories.

“It’s obviously upsetting losing, but I can’t say it’s frustrating,” Brown said. “As you mentioned it’s early in the season, it’s a great football team we just lost to and it came down to the wire .”

Offensive lineman Ted Karras echoed Brown’s comments.

“I think guys should gain confidence that we took it down to 3 seconds left with the world champs, but there are no moral victories in the NFL,” Karras told reporters. “It’s a notch in the right-hand column.”