Mike Tomlin Shares Behind The Scenes Detail Of Viral Steelers Moment With Joey Porter And The Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most storied franchises in the history of the NFL, and the organization has had a ton of memorable moments throughout its history. However, there have also been tough moments in between some of the highlights. One of those situations came during the Wild Card Round of the 2015 postseason. Star wide receiver Antonio Brown was knocked out cold by Cincinnati Bengals inside linebacker Vontaze Burfict, which sparked a string of bizarre events on the field.

This game between the Steelers and Bengals will also be remembered because of how crazy it was. Pittsburgh won the game by a score of 18-16 after Chris Boswell kicked the game-winning field goal with under a minute remaining. This game was interesting because the Bengals were starting a backup quarterback, and the Steelers had to have Landry Jones come in for a bit after Ben Roethlisberger got banged up.

The quarterback situations were a minor story once the end of the fourth quarter rolled around. The Steelers were down two points and got the ball with just over a minute remaining in the game. Roethlisberger fired a pass into Brown on a first down just over midfield, and Brown was knocked out cold by Burfict. Burfict was called for unnecessary roughness, which was a 15-yard penalty and a new set of downs for Pittsburgh. With Brown down, coaches came on the field, including former linebackers coach Joey Porter, who got into it with Bengals cornerback Adam Jones which caused another penalty. 

Former head coach Mike Tomlin explained what happened here during a recent appearance on Not Just Football while speaking with Cam Heyward.

"Hopefully [Porter] told you guys the story," Tomlin said. "I deputized him. Like we had a nasty relationship with that group [the Bengals]. So, I called him into my office before the game on game day, I said, 'If it goes berserk in any way, I'm coming onto the field, I want you to come with me. I'm going to the action, I want you to control our guys.' Because our guys had physical respect for Joey Porter."

Tomlin warned Porter before the game that things might get out of control, and he wanted him on the field to control Pittsburgh's own players to keep them out of trouble. Things obviously continued to get out of control, and Jones ended up making contact with Porter which meant another 15-yard penalty against the Bengals.

The Steelers went from having to fight to get the ball into field goal range with no timeouts, to gaining 30 yards and having an opportunity to kick the game-winning field goal. There was 14 seconds left at a certain point and the Steelers had no timeouts remaining, so Boswell came on to kick the 35-yard game-winner.

The week after this the Steelers lost to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round. Pittsburgh had to play the game without Brown, and Roethlisberger was still a bit banged up.

Steelers And Bengals Are Set For Another Big Game In Week 10

It is fair to say that the playoff game from the 2015 season is one of the biggest games throughout the history of the rivalry between the Bengals and the Steelers. However, the two sides will clash in Week 10 of the 2026 season in another huge game. Both teams are 6-2, and the winner of this game will take first place in the AFC North standings. This game could have a huge impact on the final standings within the division as the Steelers look for the sweep of Cincinnati.

What do you think about this story from Tomlin about the infamous game against the Bengals? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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