Former Bengals Coach Paul Alexander Drops Hot Take Following Joseph Ossai's Costly Penalty in AFC Title Game Loss

Cincinnati lost 23-20 in Sunday's AFC Championship Game.

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Jan 30, 2023 11:43 AM EST

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Former Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander dropped a hot take following Cincinnati's 23-20 loss to the Chiefs in Sunday's AFC Championship Game.

Alexander said the Bengals should "cut No. 58" following a costly late game penalty that put Kansas City in position to kick the game winning field goal.

He was referring to second-year defensive end Joseph Ossai, who was called for unnecessary roughness after pushing Patrick Mahomes on the sideline.

Alexander deleted the tweet after he was met with plenty of push back.

Ossai made a mistake, but it doesn't compare to the January 9, 2016 meltdown against the Steelers. It's worth noting that Alexander was on that coaching staff and they didn't part ways with any of the key players that were involved in the loss.

Ossai is only 22-years-old and played a heck of a game prior to the penalty. This is a learning opportunity for him and the rest of the young Bengals that the team will likely rely on more heavily next season and beyond.

“It is tough. It was a tough play, but it did not come down to that. You know there was a lot of other plays that we just missed out on, and they made one more play than we did," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said after the game. "Joseph (Ossai) comes to work everyday man. He loves ball. He loves being a part of this team. It did not come down to that play.”

Guys like Vontaze Burfict and Adam "Pacman" Jones were undisciplined veterans. There is no comparison and yet, Alexander tried to compare the two situations on social media. Check out his tweet below.