The Pittsburgh Steelers have not had much playoff success in recent years, and that has been a major talking point about the team that is brought up with every decision that is made. Fans desperately want to be relevant again within the NFL, but Pittsburgh just keeps putting out mediocre teams that can barely squeak into the postseason. One of Pittsburgh's last playoff wins came during the 2015 season. At the end of the year, the franchise lost to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, but the Steelers took down the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card Round.
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Retired Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger takes a hit from former Bengals linebacker, Vontaze Burfict during a game in Cincinnati, OH.
The matchup up with the Bengals during the playoffs at the end of the 2015 season was quite eventful. The game saw Ben Roethlisberger go down with an injury and Landry Jones come in for a little while in relief. The Steelers had a 15-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter, and Cincinnati eventually took a 16-15 lead. Roethlisberger and the Steelers had a chance to take the lead with under two minutes left on the clock. The quarterback led his team down the field, he looked to hit Antonio Brown, but he was viciously hit by Vontaze Burfict on the play.
Brown would get a concussion, and Burfict was penalized 15-yards for unnecessary roughness. While Brown was being tended to by the medical staff on the field, a skirmish broke out involving some Bengals defenders and Pittsburgh's Outside Linebacker Coach (at the time) Joey Porter Sr. Porter broke down what happened during a recent appearance on Not Just Football.
"I made the cardinal mistake," Porter said. "I tried to compliment a Bengal. And referee with the white hat had the boom mic. That's the reason why we never get in trouble, 'cause the boom mic picked up everything. Yeah, they had everything. So when they tried to make the lies and all that, the referee had the boom mic. So everybody in New York heard exactly what happened and they know I wasn't bullsh***ing. I told Burfict, I say 'Man, I'm not even supposed to say this, but I like your game.' I actually like his game. He got some jankiness in him that I see in myself when he play. He's ruthless, he plays like that."
Porter was out on the field to speak with Brown and the medical staff, and while he was walking off the gridiron, he got shoved by a few defenders on Cincinnati. This led to the additional penalty, and Bengals players tried to come out and say that it was Porter's fault. He claims refs have the whole thing recorded through the boom mic, which is why Pittsburgh never got into any trouble.
Sam Greene / cincinnati.com
Referees break up the Steelers and Bengals as Joey Porter (left) makes his way back to the sideline in the 2016 Wild Card game.
Porter was never worried for his safety, despite being surrounding by a bunch of players for Cincinnati. The players were trying to intimidate him, but he knew there was nothing they could do on national television. Everything those players did would harm their own team, which would end up helping the Steelers. Porter spoke more about the incident on Not Just Football.
"I tell him, 'Man I like your game,' I give him his compliments," Porter said. "He returned that compliment with like, 'I don't give a f**k how you feel about my game. F you and F Pittsburgh.' Alright, so my bad for throwing you the compliment. You threw that right back at my face and you didn't want my compliment."
Burfict was always known for being an intense player throughout his career, but his hit on Brown and his actions afterwards made him a rival in Pittsburgh for life. He also helped ensure a loss for Cincinnati that game that they should have won -- had it not been for the senseless penalties.
ESPN
Steelers' Antonio Brown gets hit hard by Bengals' Vontaze Burfict.
Steelers' Joey Porter Was Never Threatened In Cincinnati
The field in Cincinnati that night was a hostile environment for anyone wearing the black and gold. When Roethlisberger got injured earlier in the contest, the crowd cheered and through trash at the quarterback as he was carted off of the field. That's just an example of what it can be like in Cincinnati, but Porter never felt safer than when he was standing on that field.
"Now I'm really smirking because I look up, it's Bengal, Bengal, Bengal," Porter said. "Y'all ain't about to do sh*t. That's the funny part. I'm just smirking now. I can't mess up our leverage. Pacman [Adam Jones] come running from way over yonder. Don't even know what's going on. He pushed me, Burfict bumped me. [Gilberry] bumped me. So they ping ponging me around. I'm laughing, but I'm in the safest place ever because ain't none of them really rough. Ain't none of them like that."
Porter still clearly has some animosity towards those players and the Bengals' organization as a whole, but things worked out that night for Pittsburgh. Porter isn't necessarily to credit for the win, it is more of a few Bengals making critical mistakes and costing their team. However, it's no doubt that Porter's altercation with the Bengals definitely ended up being favorable for Pittsburgh.
What do you think about Porter's remarks? Let us know in the comments below!
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