Understandably, Cincinnati Bengals defenders weren’t too happy about pre-game comments from Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.
Brady had made a comment calling the Bengals defense “fairly tough,” a small bit of a quote that got blown up and then used as motivation by Bengals players.
Eli Apple and B.J. Hill let Brady know how they felt about the comments after the win.
Linebacker Germaine Pratt let Brady know during post-game interviews with reporters, too.
“Hearing that from an old, savvy vet from him, we’re a ‘fairly tough defense,’ with four turnovers, what would you say — tough as nails?” Pratt said, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby.
The Bengals defense forced four turnovers, picking off Brady twice and forcing two fumbles while they scored 34 unanswered points to win the game. Pratt secured one of those picks.
Other Bengals defenders were a little more reserved, repeating the mantra of the season.
“We don’t really care about what people say,” safety Jessie Bates said. “It is how it is, week in and week out. Somebody’s going to say something. At the end of the day, they got to see us.”
This won’t be the last time Bengals players use something similar for motivation and as winners of six straight, it’s hard to complain about the results.
