Last Sunday's Steelers-Bengals get-together was chippy long before kickoff, and things got chippier once the game began. And after it was over -- the Steelers won 33-20 to keep their playoff hopes alive -- there were accusations by Pittsburgh fans that Cincinnati was the beneficiary of several missed calls by the officials.
First, there was A.J. Green punting the ball into the stands after his 66-yard touchdown reception, which should have been a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. And then there was this low hit on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger by Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict that didn't draw a flag.
(And while it may have escaped the notice of officials -- though we have no idea how -- Burfict's hit didn't get past former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch).
How could this hit by Vontaze Burfict not be a penalty. Watch this cheap shot as he targets Ben's ankle pic.twitter.com/O4ZcT1FC5m
— Charlie Batch (@CharlieBatch16) December 13, 2015
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was asked at his Tuesday press conference about Burfict's low tackle on Roethlisberger.
Tomlin: "Not my job at this juncture" to worry about low hits by the Bengals. Said he assumes NFL office will have "due diligence"
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) December 15, 2015
Big Ben, meanwhile, was certain that Burfict's intetntions were nefarious.
"I don't buy that he was pushed," Roethlisberger told 93.7 The Fan, a CBS Sports Radio station. "He definitely was diving in low and going for my legs. It's tough. I am just glad I didn't get hurt."
Roethlisberger said he asked the official about the no-call, and Burfict insisted that he was pushed into the quarterback.
Either way, Burfict seemed to be in the middle of just about every scuffle, and the bad blood between him and some Steelers players goes back to Week 8, when Pittsburgh linebacker Vince Williams took issue with Burfict's gleeful celebration following a tackle on running back Le'Veon Bell that ended Bell's season.
Williams went on to threaten Burfict on Twitter, and Burfict confronted Williams about it before Sunday's game -- and after the NFL didn't discipline Williams.
As it stands, the Bengals remain in first place in the AFC North and are the No. 2 seed in the conference; the Steelers, meanwhile, need to win out to guarantee a playoff spot.
