WATCH: Joseph Ossai breaks down in tears following his MASSIVE error in the AFC championship game against the Chiefs
Bengals Joseph Ossai breaks down in tears following late penalty on Patrick Mahomes that cost them the game.
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Joseph Ossai (Image via Larry Brown Sports)
Joseph Ossai played his first AFC conference final, and it didn’t go the way he would have wanted. The 22-year-old was just out of the University of Texas and was asked to perform in probably the most high-pressure game of his career.
Ossai held his own really well throughout the game. However, one mistake can cost you the game and it was the Bengals defender who committed it. With just seconds left on the clock, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes decided to rush the ball for a 1st down. However, he was pushed by Ossai from behind, resulting in an unnecessary roughness penalty for 15 yards.
“I was just in full chase mode,” Ossai stated in his post-game press conference. “I was trying to push him, maybe get him going backwards because I knew he was going for that sideline. I was trying to make him go backwards, get that clock running. I haven’t seen it yet. I don’t know how far out of bounds we were.”
The penalty put the Chiefs in field goal range from 45 yards. With just seconds left and the score tied at 20-20, the Chiefs kicker took the opportunity and scored the game-winning field goal, providing an upset to the Bengals.
Ossai was devastated after the game and was seen crying on the sidelines while all the Chiefs players were celebrating. The rookie blamed himself for the loss and was terrified.
Teammates consoled Joseph Ossai amidst a tough learning experience for the Bengals’ DE
The Bengals eventually lost the game and getting disappointed and crying about it won’t change things. However, a good learning experience could help Joseph Ossai not commit the same mistake in the future. The 22-year-old believes that this was a great learning experience for him and won’t commit the same mistake in the future.
“I gotta learn from experience,” Ossai said. “I gotta know not to get close to that quarterback when he’s close to that sideline if it’s anything that could possibly cause a penalty in a dire situation like that. I gotta do better.”
This feeling of losing a playoff game was new for the youngster who was broken down on the sidelines. However, his teammates helped him up and consoled him amidst a tough ordeal for the Bengals DE.
Ossai also injured his left knee when making the tackle on Patrick Mahomes and will be conducting an MRI to know the extent of his injury. The Bengals and Joe Burrow’s journey ends here, while the Chiefs will be looking to pick up the Lombardi Trophy in Arizona on the 12th of February.
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Aamir Jethwa
(1484 Articles Published)