Bengals players took exception to Sunday’s game; Harbaugh, after reviewing the film, says there’s nothing to take exception about.
Following the Ravens-Bengals Week 18 game, numerous Cincinnati Bengals players were in arms saying the Baltimore Ravens were dirty, including defensive end D.J. Reader and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt.
“There was some shit I don’t agree with,” D.J. Reader said, according to The Athletic’s Jay Morrison.
“There was a lot of cheap shit going on,” Cam Taylor-Britt said. “Just know that we owe them. Even though we won this shit, we owe them.”
On Monday, Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh was asked if he saw anything upon reviewing the game film that resembled ‘anything outside the realm of competitive play between rivals.’
“I studied the game really closely, obviously,” Harbaugh said. “And it’s clear our players played a clean game. As they always do. Millions of fans watched the game as well and they saw the same thing so I’d just say let them be the judges.”
Some Bengals players felt similarly to Harbaugh, including defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
“They were playing for a lot over there, too, so they were chippy,” Hendrickson said. “We were playing for a lot, too. And when guys are playing for a lot, tempers get high and a lot of things get said, and some people take it a little personal.”
Ravens players also felt the game wasn’t anything excessive, including defensive end Calais Campbell and rookie center Tyler Linderbaum.
“It’s playoff football,” Campbell said. “Against a division opponent, this is kind of like a preview of what it’s going to be like next week. The chippiness – that’s division games.”
“It was just the nature of the game,” Linderbaum said. “Both teams [were] playing hard, so it was nothing personal, but we’ll be ready to go next week, and so will they.”