Post-game thoughts Steelers vs. Bengals

What do you say about what went down Saturday night in Cincinnati?
Ben Roethlisberger added a whole chapter to his book in the final minute of that game.
Roethlisberger couldn’t raise his arm above his shoulder. Watch his throwing motion on the passes he attempted on the final drive.
Roethlisberger suddenly had a Philip Rivers-like throwing motion. He couldn’t throw the ball more than five yards.
And yet he went 5-8 for 40 yards and willed the Steelers to an 18-16 victory – with some help from the Bengals.
That was truly a Willis Reed-like moment.
@ I’ve seen a lot of football games in 23 years of covering the Steelers. I’ve never seen anything like what I witnessed Saturday night at Paul Brown Stadium.
I’ve never seen a city have its heart ripped out like what I saw happen in the Steelers’ victory over the Bengals.
And you know what? The fan base deserved it. Some of the Bengals fans – I’m not going to say all, but certainly some – showed very little class during that game.
They cheered as Roethlisberger was carted off the field. They littered the field with bottles and other trash after Ryan Shazier’s forced fumble on Giovanni Bernard and continued to do so long after the play.
That was a perfectly legal hit.
Bernard had caught the ball and squared up as a runner. And while there was helmet-to-helmet contact, for better or worse, that is legal in the NFL.
What Vontaze Burfict did to Antonio Brown, who was in a defenseless position, was not.
Now, there was a helmet-to-helmet shot called earlier in the game against Bengals safety Shaun Williams that I did not feel deserved the penalty, but I’ve seen those called in the past.
Bengals fans and player blaming the officials for that loss are on the wrong track.
@ If I am Marvin Lewis, and at this point, thank goodness I’m not, I cut Pacman Jones. I realize Jones is a free agent after this season, but I don’t care. I throw all his stuff out on the street this morning.
Gone.
Why in the world would he go after Joey Porter on the field? Porter being on the field is questionable, but he is a coach and he’s permitted to be out there during an injury.
But why does Jones do anything he does?
He’s an idiot. He went on an expletive-filled rant on social media after the last meeting between the two teams and did it again Saturday night.
Burfict’s hit at least occurred in the midst of playing football. It’s a tough call, but by rule, it’s a penalty.
What Jones did and how he’s reacted, shows a complete lack of remorse and understanding.
As Forrest Gump said, “Stupid is as stupid does.”
@ I was really impressed by what the Steelers got from Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman.
Pittsburgh ran for 167 yards on a rainy day, and Toussaint also had 40 yards receiving.
They moved the chains. They picked up blitzers. They moved piles.
DeAngelo Williams should be back next Sunday at Denver. But what Toussaint and Todman did can’t be overlooked.
@ Ryan Shazier has been questioned a lot in his first two seasons with the team. Fans also have targeted Jarvis Jones and Antwon Blake, as well.
All three made big contributions to this win.
Shazier, in particular, was impactful, recording 13 tackles, two forced fumbles, a couple of passed defensed. He was everywhere.
@ Brown has a concussion and Roethlisberger has a separated shoulder.
I’d be surprised if they both didn’t play next week.
Brown was in good sorts after the game. But he was knocked out. He’ll work through concussion protocol but also has an extra recovery day.
Roethlisberger can probably get by with not practicing until Friday and be OK.
@ Chris Boswell was cool as a cucumber once again.
@ Can lightning strike again?
The Steelers have won playoff games in two other seasons under head coach Mike Tomlin, in 2008 and 2010. Both years, they went to the Super Bowl.
They also made the postseason in 2007, 2011 and 2014 and lost their playoff openers.