The Cincinnati Bengals took a painful loss in the first round of the NFL playoffs Saturday night 18-16. The Bengals imploded at the end of Saturday's wild card matchup, as Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict moved the Steelers into field goal range with a reckless hit on Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown. There were plenty of other reasons why the Bengals lost on Saturday, but Burfict's hit on Brown clearly stands out from this game and the Bengals linebacker now faces a suspension at the beginning of the 2016 season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
It was a series of events that led to a intense ending in the second game on wild card weekend, and it seemed to start with a huge hit from Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier on Bengals running back Giovani Bernard. The Bengals running back was removed from the game and is now in the NFL's concussion protocol. On the next series, Burfict slammed Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger into the ground, and the Steelers clearly believe that Burfict is a dirty player as this dates back for some time now.
With Roethlisberger on the sideline, the Bengals were able to lead a comeback scoring 16 straight points following the Steelers quarterback injury. The Steelers still had a chance to win, but backup quarterback Landry Jones threw a terrible interception late, giving the Bengals a chance to close the game out.
On the first play of the next series, Bengals running back Jeremy Hill fumbled the ball, and Pittsburgh recovered. Roethlisberger returned to the game and drove his team down the field, and he made a crucial fourth down conversion to extend the drive. Then Burfict's unnecessary and brutal hit came on Brown, and the game exploded in chaos, as both teams were in each other's faces with coaches from the sidelines on the field. Steelers outside linebackers coach Joey Porter is reportedly expected to be fined for his involvement on the field following the hit. Bengals cornerback Adam Jones made a costly mistake in contacting a field judge, causing a penalty that would put the Steelers in range for an easy field goal attempt.
The Steelers were able to close out an intense ending in the first round of the playoffs, but fans across the country are still questioning how the game ended the way it did. Many disagree on the call on Jones at the end of the game, but it's hard to argue against Burfict's hit on Brown, as it clearly was unnecessary and the league clearly feels the same way with the impeding suspension.
