The Cincinnati Bengals have fielded plenty of criticism heading into Week 15 after quarterback Joe Burrow had something of a 29th birthday existential crisis at the press podium. That was before Mother Nature hit Paycor Stadium in a big way.
Very chilly temperatures swept through Cincinnati prior to Sunday's AFC North duel against the Baltimore Ravens, along with plenty of snow.
Anyone who makes fun of the Bengals for — shall we politely say — frugality will have plenty of ammunition after this news.
Bengals leave excess snow on Paycor Stadium seats before Week 15 game vs. Ravens
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio caught onto the situation that was unfolding at the Bengals' home venue before kickoff. Florio shared a key excerpt from the NFL policy on snow removal in his story:
"Each home club is responsible for having a snow removal plan in place and ensuring that its stadium has adequate snow removal equipment available. Snow and ice must be removed from the stadium before all games. This applies to the playing field, sidelines, seating bowl, aisles, pedestrian ramps, walkways, parking lots, etc."
So tell me, reader, does this look like a stadium that has taken care of snow removal in adequate fashion? The question is rhetorical!
White Out? Or just not bothering to blow the snow off the seats? pic.twitter.com/DscbBERjCB
— Jeff Wallner (@JeffWallner) December 14, 2025
#Bengals Paycor Stadium has some seats covered in snow.
— Santori Miles (@Cincy_Suave2) December 14, 2025
Not a big deal
But maybe we can clean the snow and ice in the handicap section pic.twitter.com/4pusNSFP2H
Welcome to the (frozen) Jungle!
— Regan Holgate (@HolgateRegan) December 14, 2025
We saw fans scraping ice off of their seats with credit cards 🥶
The wind chill will be around -3 at kickoff.#Bengals | @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/yfp8rMUQ39
If any franchise can't afford a league-imposed fine for rules violations, it's the Bengals. Mike Brown is the least-liquid owner in the sport, and it really shows up when it comes to little things like this.
There's enough plausible deniability and documentation to suggest the Bengals' stadium staff eventually got it together enough to avoid any NFL disciplinary action.
A lot of snow remained on seats about 15 minutes prior to kickoff from Paycor Stadium Sunday afternoon.
— WLWT (@WLWT) December 14, 2025
The kickoff temperature was 10 degrees with a -1 wind chill. It's the fifth-coldest game in Bengals history. pic.twitter.com/n45qCZ9bRS
Here was the Bengals' statement from the PFT story:
"Seat aisles were prioritized and are in good shape. Seats are easily wiped off and ushers are equipped to help there."
Cool.
Bengals fans have to be feeling things like, "This only happens to us." And it sure seems like that's the case. Par for the course if you will. Status quo. The Bengals being the Bengals.
I mean to be fair, it takes a special kind of Who Dey Head to endure the brutal cold and the bitter disappointment of another lost season to be in attendance for Sunday's game. The least the organization could do is reward them for their collective presence and make sure the seats are clear of snow!
Or so you would think, right?
It's corner-cutting like this that extends throughout Bengals headquarters that is at the root of Burrow's ongoing frustration. Highly avoidable, self-inflicted wounds that do harm to Cincinnati's already-suspect reputation as a football operation.
The difference between winning and losing, and establishing a strong culture versus one that nobody is fully bought into, is in the finer details. For any multitude of nameable reasons, the Bengals seem to fall short on those fronts more often than just about any other team.
This wouldn't be as big of a deal if it wasn't such a persistent trend.