Bengals Coaches, Players Discuss Onslaught of Offsides Penalties in Season Opener

The Cincinnati Bengals became the first team in seven seasons to commit four defensive offsides penalties in a game during Sunday’s season-opening 33-27 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Per TruMedia, the last team to commit four offsides penalties in a game was the Oakland Raiders in a 26-24 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10 of 2019.

“We can't have it,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Monday. “We had four of them, and we've got to be better at it.”

Taylor said he isn’t going to buy any excuses because the film doesn’t like.

“They'll see that very clearly when they see the tape of what we were trying to communicate over the course of the game,” he said. “It wasn't the same guy over and over. It was multiple guys.”

Newcomer Jonathan Allen, who had two of the four penalties, said he’d already seen the film and agrees with Taylor.

“We looked at the film. We were clearly offsides,” he said. “I just think it's just the first game, everyone's excited. You try to crowd the line and get as close as possible. No excuse for it. We've just got to be better.”

Bengals Commit 4 Offsides Penalties in One Game

B.J. Hill lines up offsides in season opener. — NFL Plus screen grab

B.J. Hill was the first to draw penalty, lining up way offsides on the fourth play of the game, negating an incomplete pass and turning second and 10 into first and 5.

Early in the second quarter, Allen lined up offsides for the first time on first and 10. Tampa Bay running back Bucky Irving had run for 5 yards, so second and 5 turned into first and 5.

Allen’s second offense came with 5:46 left in the third quarter and turned fourth and 1 into a first down.

And with 3:11 left before halftime, T.J Slaton Jr. lined up offsides, negating a 2-yard tackle for loss by Jalen Davis and Boye Mafe on first and 10. Instead of second and 12, it was first and 5.

“Some of them were good plays by our defense where we get a stop, and then they get a free 5 (yards),” Taylor said. “We're not going to accept that. And I know our guys are professional enough to understand that.”

The Bengals had two offsides penalties during the 2025 season. Only five teams had fewer (Rams, Eagles, Jets had one, and Jaguars and Dolphins had zero).

In 2024, the Bengals also had two. Ony the Raiders had fewer (one).

They had four offsides in 37 games before committing four in Sunday’s game.

“We had very uncharacteristic penalties,” defensive coordinator Al Golden said. “We gave them three or four first and 5s for being offsides. That’s a tough down to call.”

Tampa Bay had gains of 8, 9 and 13 yards on the three first-and-5 situations, although the 8-yarder ended up being the lost fumble by Baker Mayfield near the goal line.

The Bengals finished with seven penalties for 47 yards, which means more than half of them were of the offsides variety.

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