'That's One of My Regrets' - Bengals Center Ted Karras On Not Confronting Maxx Crosby

Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras (64) checks on quarterback Joe Burrow (9) after he leaves the game in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 8 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Philadelphia Eagles at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. The Bengals fell to 3-5 on the season with a 37-17 loss to the Eagles at home.
Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras (64) checks on quarterback Joe Burrow (9) after he leaves the game in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 8 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Philadelphia Eagles at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. The Bengals fell to 3-5 on the season with a 37-17 loss to the Eagles at home. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals offensive line only allowed quarterback Joe Burrow to be sacked one time Sunday afternoon during the team's 41-24 win against the Las Vegas Raiders.

But they appeared to fail him at least one other time.

One the first play after the 2:00 warning in the first half, Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby jumped offsides and headed unabated toward Burrow, blasting him to the ground.

After the hit, none of the Cincinnati offensive linemen confronted him.

“That’s one of my regrets from the game,” center and team captain Ted Karras said. “We probably should’ve done a little more of a scene. But really, we were just trying to make sure Joe was OK, and then Joe popped up and was smiling.

"After it was over, everybody was like 'OK, it's all right,'" Karras added. "But I'm sure we'll probably take a little heat on Twitter for it."

Cody Ford took a step toward Crosby but peeled off, and Karras took more than a couple of steps.

Mims was the furthest away, having watched Crosby run around him before the ball was snapped.

“I was surprised he didn’t get kicked out,” Mims said.

It was an odd play, which seemed to sort of mitigate any animosity toward Crosby. The officials never blew their whistle, which they typically do when it’s a situation where a defender is unabated to the quarterback.

And usually the referee will run in and get in front of the quarterback in those situations.

None of it happened, but Burrow said he didn’t take exception to it even though Crosby earned a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness.

“I don’t think his late hit was dirty at all,” Burrow said. “That’s why when you hear the whistle, quarterbacks are supposed to throw it in the dirt so you don’t get hit like that. I didn’t hear a whistle at all.”

And Burrow said he didn’t have an issue with his offensive linemen not confronting Crosby, the way the Los Angeles Chargers center Bradley Bozeman did last week when he buried the New Orleans Saints’ Nathan Shepherd for a dirty, ankle-twisting tackle of quarterback Justin Herbert, resulting in offsetting penalties.

“We can’t get a flag back,” Burrow said. “We got 15 yards on that blame. I don’t blame (Crosby) for that. That’s football.”

Three plays later, Burrow hit Andrei Iosivas for a 10-yard touchdown to break a 10-10 tie, and the Bengals led the rest of the way.

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Jay Morrison
JAY MORRISON

Jay Morrison covers the Cincinnati Bengals for Bengals On SI. He has been writing about the NFL for nearly three decades. Combining a passion for stats and storytelling, Jay takes readers beyond the field for a unique look at the game and the people who play it. Prior to joining Bengals on SI, Jay covered the Cincinnati Bengals beat for The Athletic, the Dayton Daily News and Pro Football Network.