Twenty-two seconds remained in the game. With a spot in the divisional round of the playoffs at stake, the Steelers trailed the Bengals by a single point. Situated at the Bengals 47-yard line, the Steelers were closing in on field-goal range, but they lacked timeouts to stop the clock.
On first-and-10, Ben Roethlisberger fired a high pass over the middle of the field. It flew beyond Antonio Brown's outstretched arms. The pass harmlessly hit the ground.
Then, the Bengals inexplicably gifted the Steelers 30 yards, setting up the winning 35-yard field goal that capped a crazy Steelers comeback mere moments after the Bengals' own double-digit comeback.
The first 15 yards came via a dangerous and vicious head shot, which Brown endured after failing to reach Roethlisberger's pass. Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who made himself a Pittsburgh enemy before the game, went head hunting, costing his team 15 yards.
This is just brutal pic.twitter.com/hBsIAJIBwO
— The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) January 10, 2016
And, in an instant, Burfict's story changed. Because just before that penalty, Burfict picked off the Steelers with less than two minutes remaining in the game, seemingly sealing the Bengals' first playoff win since January 1991.
In celebration, Burfict sprinted straight to the locker room.
He shouldn't have -- the game wasn't over. For one, the Steelers still owned all three of their timeouts. And, even if the Bengals scored a touchdown and kicked an extra point, it would have remained a one-possession game.
The Steelers didn't end up needing any of those timeouts. On the Bengals' first play, running back Jeremy Hill fumbled the ball back to the Steelers, giving them new life.
WOW. JEREMY HILL. He fumbles at the worst time after the Pittsburgh turnover! #PITvsCIN pic.twitter.com/epcSx95YLX
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) January 10, 2016
An injured Roethlisberger was given one final chance. He drove the team down the field.
Then, the Bengals gave the Steelers two gifts. Immediately after Burfict's headshot, before another play took place, the Bengals were flagged again. This time, it was Adam Jones, called for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Is anyone going to address #joeyporter being on the field bumping players and antagonizing players? #PITvsCIN pic.twitter.com/1vCJ5Xm6Wv
— John Lott (@RealTalkwithJL) January 10, 2016
After, Jones took his seat on the bench, visibly shaken.
Adam Jones crying on the sideline pic.twitter.com/53xujmj0HT
— The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) January 10, 2016
The ball moved another 15 yards to the 17-yard line. With 18 seconds left and no timeouts, the Steelers didn't run another play. Chris Boswell jogged onto the field and drilled the winning field goal, a chip shot thanks to those two penalties.
After a failed Hail Mary pass, the Bengals completed their collapse. Their season is over.
