Bengals’ Battle draws pushback from Malik Willis after 2-pick game

Jordan Battle intercepted Malik Willis twice Sunday.

The Dolphins quarterback isn’t buying the Bengals safety’s scouting report, though.

Before Cincinnati’s 31-24 victory over Miami, Battle publicly identified a habit he believed could help the secondary anticipate throws. And that was Willis tapping the football before releasing it.

The two interceptions that followed gave Battle’s comments more attention. But Willis didn’t feel the supposed tell caused anything, per NBC Sports.

“That has nothing to do with tells. I don’t think I patted either one of those. I don’t think those are correlated,” Willis said.

Willis explained that his arm was hit on the first interception. On the second, he said receivers Malik Washington and Kevin Coleman Jr. moved in the same direction during a scramble, bringing a defender into his intended throwing lane.

He also dismissed the import of Battle’s observation, describing patting the football as a common quarterback habit. Willis credited Cincinnati’s defense and defensive front as he discussed the turnovers.

The takeaways mattered regardless of whether Battle’s film study directly produced them, since his interceptions came on consecutive second-quarter possessions to help Cincinnati build a 21-7 halftime lead and snap a two-game losing streak.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals’ Battle draws pushback from Malik Willis after 2-pick game