It seems the Wildcats were not the only ones struggling at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic. Their co-captain, Joe Burrow, who led the team alongside Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders, had his own struggles, one that left fans holding their breath.

The biggest example of Joe Burrow’s agitation came in a 39-14 loss to Team USA, where the 29-year-old went down on a flag-pull after a catch from Jayden Daniels. Burrow immediately stared at an official while flailing his arms in frustration as he asked for a roughing flag; however, he failed to convince the official.

While the star signal-caller was left frustrated, FOX play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt was quick to react to this play from the Bengals QB’s perspective, while partner and analyst Greg Olsen explained why Burrow didn’t get the call.

“All Bengals fans are going, ‘Okay, Joe. Let’s not have that. We don’t need that today. He wanted a penalty flag,'” Burkhardt said while Olsen shared his thoughts on the decision, “That’s about as much contact as we’ve seen on a flag pull and didn’t draw a flag. We’ve seen flags throughout the course of this game on way less.”

These concerns raised by Burkhardt stem from the injury-riddled 2025 season Joe Burrow had, as he missed nine games after sustaining a severe Grade 3 turf toe injury in Week 2, which required surgery. Hence, Cincinnati supporters won’t be happy to see their franchise cornerstone miss more time with an injury in a flag football matchup.

Burrow’s frustrations weren’t limited to this call, as the Bengals QB1 threw an interception earlier in the game, which was returned for a touchdown, giving Team USA an early 12-0 lead. However, this matchup wasn’t all lowlights for Burrow, as he threw a touchdown to former Baltimore Ravens wideout DeAndre Hopkins.

The trend continued against the Founders FFC, led by Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and NFL legend Tom Brady, where the 29-year-old channeled his ‘Smokin’ Joe’ persona and threw touchdowns to Odell Beckham, Jr., Saquon Barkley, and Davante Adams.

While the Fanatics Flag Football Classic didn’t turn out as successfully as Joe Burrow would have hoped, the event hasn’t shaken the Bengals star’s desire to represent the USA at the Los Angeles Olympics and hopefully win the gold medal.

Joe Burrow issues clear Olympic goals for LA28

With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics featuring flag football for the first time, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has expressed interest in representing the Red, White, and Blue at the upcoming Summer Games. The 29-year-old addressed this desire at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic press conference.

“I’ve always wanted to play in the Olympics,” Burrow said, via Dave Clark of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I’ve never necessarily played an Olympic sport before, so when this got announced, I was pretty excited about it. The opportunity to win a gold medal (is) something that I’ve thought about — a moment like that — for a long time, since I was a kid. I think it would be something very special.”

Despite having a not-so-ideal showing at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, Joe Burrow’s competitive fire remains as fierce as ever. With his sights set on Olympic gold in 2028, the Bengals star clearly has plenty left to prove on the flag football field and beyond.