The Cincinnati Bengals took care of business Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, but their 34-10 victory didn't come without controversy.
A nasty fourth-quarter fight led to Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth and two Raiders -- defensive linemen Tommy Kelly and Lamarr Houston -- being ejected from the game.
Whitworth went after Houston after he flung Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton to the ground seconds after an official blew a third-and-6 play dead because of a Cincinnati false start. The Whitworth-Houston confrontation morphed into a two-team brawl that pulled assistants and even Raiders coach Dennis Allen into the fray before officials broke it up.
"I think it's OK to play with anger," Allen said, via The Associated Press. "But we've got to play with poise and composure. We lost our poise a little bit."
Kelly certainly did, spilling onto the field from the Oakland sideline and having to be pulled away by teammates as he barked at Cincinnati players with his helmet off. Whitworth and Houston were flagged for unnecessary roughness before being tossed.
The Raiders already were worked up over the previous play, when Bengals wide receiver Mohamed Sanu fumbled the ball, which Oakland safety Joselio Hanson scooped up for a score that was wiped out by an inadvertent whistle.
"They were probably looking for a fight because they weren't doing much on the field," Whitworth said, via The AP.
A game that seemed destined for ho-hum status has given the NFL plenty of game film to review this week. Stiff fines should be expected.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
