The Cincinnati Bengals’ left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. knows how costly it can be when a penalty he commits costs his team yards.
Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills, Brown’s false start cost his team points.
The Bengals were lined up in field goal formation after a series of other penalties derailed a promising drive as the team tried to increase its seven-point lead in the second quarter. Brown felt himself flinch and saw a couple of Buffalo players pointing at him before Evan McPherson sent a 55-yard field goal just inside of the right upright.
Did Orlando Brown Jr. Really False Start on FG Attempt?
The false start meant McPherson would have to try again from 60 yards out or the team could punt, and head coach Zac Taylor elected for the latter.
“It f–kin’ sucks,” Brown said. “I hate that I took points away from us in that situation. I always want to be a better pro than that.”
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The broadcast copy of the game didn’t show any movement from Brown, but he didn’t dispute the call.
“I haven’t watched the film yet, but I definitely felt like I moved,” he said. “I don’t know if the referee saw it, but the defense kind of pointed it out. I don’t know if it was enough for them pointing fingers for the referee to be like, ‘Something happened,’ and throw the flag.”
A video of the play circulating online shows the referee signaling a false start five seconds before Buffalo players start pointing at Brown.
When Brown was shown the video, he said, “Holy s–t. I didn’t move, did I?”
📝 @ByJayMorrison: Another fast start propelled the Cincinnati Bengals to their fourth straight win and fifth in six games, and now they sit in the No. 7 AFC playoff spot. https://t.co/n7riMg1Gj2
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 6, 2023
It’s all moot, of course, after the field-goal-turned-punt pinned the Bills deep in their end and led to the Bengals scoring a touchdown on their next possession to go up 21-7 before winning 24-18, but Brown’s false start was one of several penalties in a short span that hurt the NFL’s least-penalized team since 2021.
On the first down of that drive, a 3rd-and-1, the Bengals had a delay of game. Quarterback Joe Burrow erased it with an eight-yard scramble to the Buffalo 19, but right guard Alex Cappa was flagged for holding.
Within seconds, 3rd-and-1 turned into 3rd-and-15 (it should have been 3rd-and-16, but the officials messed up the spot after the delay of game).
The Bills recorded their only sack of the night on that third-and-long play, and Brown’s false start negated McPherson’s long field goal.
“Those were critical,” Taylor said. “That was on offense and special teams. That came off a turnover. We get down to 3rd-and-1 and end up getting knocked out of field goal range. Those are situations we’ve got to be better at. Ultimately, that can cost you points. Maybe in a one-possession game, it can cost you a game.”
Cappa also had a false start earlier in the game. It was the first time in his 76-game career he drew two flags.
“Cappa’s a guy that loves his job, loves his teammates, loves the game, always does his job,” Brown said. “It never sits right with you when you’re the guy drawing false starts or holdings. But it’s part of the game.
“The good news is those things are correctable,” he added. “It’s just tough in the moment.”
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