What a game. The Pittsburgh Steelers went into hostile territory, had beer cans thrown at them, saw their two best players get hurt, and defeated the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 18-16. Again, what a game. Things weren't pretty for the Steelers, and it seemed like there was almost no chance of a victory, but they had some luck on their side and some bad decision making by the Bengals.
Roethlisberger Injury
In the fourth quarter, Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger went down with what seemed to be a shoulder injury. Landry Jones had to enter the game for Roethlisberger, and everything was going in favor of the Bengals. It wasn't looking good for the Steelers, then some craziness happened.
Crazy Ending
So with less than two minutes left in the game and the Steelers down by two points, Jones threw an interception to linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Cincinnati took over in Steelers territory with about a minute-and-a-half to go. Pittsburgh had three timeouts remaining so the Bengals couldn't just kneel a few times and end the game. Well, on their first rushing attempt, Steelers' linebacker Ryan Shazier (who had the game of his life) stripped Jeremy Hill. Pittsburgh took over with 1:23 left, and all of a sudden it was a game again.
Like the Pittsburgh hero he is, Roethlisberger trotted on the field, hoping to lead a game-winning comeback. After a few plays with no timeouts left from about the 50 yard line, Roethlisberger looked to Antonio Brown across the middle. The throw sailed, but Burfict came out of nowhere and drilled Brown right in the head. 15 yard penalty, and the Steelers were on the edge of field goal range.
Then, things really got crazy. Linebacker coach Joey Porter came onto the field to help Brown off the field. According to Bengals' players, Porter was talking smack and cursing at the Bengals. So, Adam Jones felt the need to take matters into his own hands and push Porter. Another 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Chris Boswell makes a 35-yard chip shot to secure the 18-16 victory.
Overall Sloppy Game
This game was a typical AFC North rivalry game, as it saw six turnovers and a whole lot of defense. Each team punted on their first four drives, and each team turned the ball over on their fifth drive of the game. There were five field goals between the teams. This really is not what people expected. It was supposed to be a shootout. Instead, we got the luxury of seeing defensive, smash-mouth playoff football.
Great Play That Gets Lost
With the way the game ended, sometimes what gets lost are some unbelievable plays that aren't remembered. The most incredible play of this game had to be the touchdown catch Pittsburgh wide receiver Martavis Bryant made in the third quarter that game his team a 15-0 lead.
Postgame Comments
Burfict was anything but happy after the game. At his locker, he was surrounded by reporters, reporters he didn't want to talk to. The first couple questions were answered with "I don't know." Eventually, Burfict said something else, and mentioned that Porter was cursing at the Bengals players in front of the ref. He was very upset that the flag was thrown on Jones instead of Burfict.
Though concussed, Brown did send out a "Snapchat" to his fans. In the video, Brown said his new favorite line. "Business is booming." For being concussed, Brown definitely seemed alert and in the right state of mind, which is definitely good news for Steelers fans.
Bengals Must Blame Themselves
The Bengals should not be blaming the referees, and they should definitely not be blaming Joey Porter. To be blunt, the Bengals have no one to blame but themselves. They lost their cool with the game on the line. Burfict's hit on Brown appeared to be at least somewhat intentional, but that was the least of the issues. Big hits like that happen in football, we just hope that the intent wasn't to injure Brown. Jones' penalty is what really tipped the iceberg in favor of the Steelers. All Jones had to do was walk away from the situation. If Porter was running his mouth, let him. There was no need to push a coach, and Jones was absolutely deserving of the penalty. Now may not be a great time to speculate, but it'll definitely be interesting to see if these two players and coach Marvin Lewis remain part of the team.
Conclusion
Pittsburgh overcame a lot of adversity in this game. Without their starting running back, they ran for 167 yards in a game that was supposed to come down to Roethlisberger's arm. The Steelers didn't only win the game because they played better, they won the game because they kept their cool and just played ball. With the way things played out, this will undoubtedly bring the team closer together than ever heading to Denver next week.