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Bengals CB Eli Apple Fires Back at Tom Brady

The Buccaneers quarterback referred to Cincinnati as having a ‘fairly tough defense.’

Madison Williams

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The Bengals’ defense definitely heard Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady’s comments about them ahead of their Sunday afternoon matchup.

Earlier last week on his Let’s Go! podcast, Brady referred to Cincinnati as having a “fairly tough defense.” So, when Bengals cornerback Eli Apple was asked about the opposing quarterback’s performance following Cincinnati’s comeback 34–23 win, he knew exactly how he wanted to answer.

“He was fairly okay, but not good enough to win,” Apple said, via WLWT.

Defensive tackle B.J. Hill also chimed into the conversation after the game when he ran into the tunnel. Hill shouted “We’re fairly tough on defense, remember that, alright?” in a video taken by The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.

After being down 17–0 in the second quarter, the Bengals held Brady and Tampa Bay to just six points in the second half, where Brady threw two interceptions and one touchdown.

When asked about their comeback win and how the Bengals were able to pull it off, Hill reiterated the same phrasing that Brady had used earlier in the week.

“We just knew we were a fairly tough defense,” Hill said. “That’s how we played in the first half, though, not going to lie to you.”

Because the Bengals were able to prove Brady and the Buccaneers wrong, the defenders felt comfortable playing around with the quote. With the win, Cincinnati remains on top of the AFC North with the third AFC playoff spot.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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