The last time these teams played was four weeks ago, a 33-20 win by the Steelers in Cincinnati in a game in which Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton broke his right thumb in the first quarter.
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Cincinnati, who scored 16 fourth-quarter points, taking a 16-15 lead with 1:56 remaining in the game, almost iced the game when Vontaze Burfict intercepted Landry Jones at the Steelers’ 26-yard line. After Ramon Foster’s unsportsmanlike penalty (on Vontaze Burfict, go figure?), the Steelers got back in field goal range on a 22-yard completion from Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown.
The crowd behind the south end zone at Paul Brown Stadium began throwing bottles and cans at the officials after Pittsburgh linebacker Ryan Shazier knocked Giovani Bernard out with what appeared to be a helmet-to-helmet hit that was not penalized in the third quarter of Cincinnati’s 18-16 loss.
Roethlisberger was 13 of 24 for 189 yards with a touchdown. The last quarterback to start and win a playoff game after making three or fewer National Football League starts was Gifford Nielsen, who led the Oilers to a road playoff victory in San Diego during the 1979 season, according to STATS. But, as Steeler fans have seen time and time again, Big Ben got off the mat and helped his team drive down the field to kick the winning field goal and stick a knife in the heart of Bengals fans who did everything but wrap up and win the game.
There were a combined nine punts and two turnovers in the first half. His 35-yard field goal essentially sealed the game.
“We have to be smart in situations throughout the game and make smart decisions”, left tackle Andrew Whitworth said.
The Bengals’ most successful stretch has earned them only a permanent spot on a psychiatric couch made of rusty nails.
Hill saw the ball pop out as Cincinnati tried to run out the clock and the Steelers recovered at the Pittsburgh 9 with 1:23 left.
The 11-5 Steelers snuck into the playoffs in Week 17 thanks to a win and a New York Jets loss. Then again, they didn’t really have much choice, as members of both coaching staffs provided a black-clad DMZ at the 50. The play jumpstarted the Chiefs’ 30-0 victory over Houston. The extent of his injury is still not clear, but he may or may not be ready to go next week, which will be a huge blow in the next round of the playoffs.
The Steelers’ secondary has been stiffening up as the season has worn on.
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CHALLENGING MARTAVIS: Roethlisberger called out talented but inconsistent second-year wide receiver Martavis Bryant during the week, saying on his radio show that Bryant needed to “toughen up” after he managed just two receptions for 6 yards over the final two games.
