Steelers Bengals Dramatic Ending

Photo: Aaron Doster, USA TODAY Sports

Five unforgettable moments from wild Steelers-Bengals finish - NFL fans likely are still suffering from the football-induced hangover thanks to the maddening wild-card game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night. The Steelers' 18-16 win featured seven personal fouls, including two on one play with 22 seconds remaining, one of the best catches we’ve seen all season and a whole host of other moments that will be remembered long after this postseason is over.

The highs and lows of Vontaze Burfict: Linebacker Vontaze Burfict nearly single-handedly won the game for the Bengals – with the brutal-but-legal hit that knocked Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger from the game at the end of the third quarter and the interception of backup quarterback Landry Jones with 1:36 remaining. But then Burfict, who is so often at the center of AFC North skirmishes and was fined about $70,000 after the Bengals’ game against Pittsburgh in December, delivered the hit that likely cost the Bengals their season. His shoulder-to-head shot on Steelers receiver Antonio Brown gave Brown a concussion and put the Steelers in field goal position with 18 seconds remaining.

Yes, teammate Adam Jones’ subsequent personal foul – for an interaction with Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter, who was inexplicably on the field – contributed as well, but the latter foul wouldn’t have happened without Burfict’s illegal hit. What’s worse, Burfict could wind up facing a suspension to start 2016 because of his actions in the wild-card game. Was it any surprise to the Steelers that when the Bengals finally lost their cool that Burfict was at the center of it? “I can’t answer that, I’ll leave that up to you,” Steelers tackle Marcus Gilbert said, though his smirk gave his true feelings away.

The sideline squabble: The first personal foul of the game was issued not to a player from either team but to the Steelers’ bench after an altercation between Bengals safety Reggie Nelson and Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak. Nelson collided with Munchak while chasing running back Jordan Todman out of bounds. In the collision, Munchak, a former NFL offensive lineman and former Tennessee Titans head coach, grabbed Nelson’s arm as well as a fistful of Nelson’s dreadlocks. Nelson turned and pushed the coach back but was not penalized.

“He turned and the young man was in his face,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. “I don’t know what the refs saw or thought they saw, but anybody that knows Mike Munchak knows who he is and what he’s about as a football man. We’ll accept the officiating.”

Roethlisberger’s ride off: The fans at Paul Brown Stadium joined the fray by late in the third quarter following by Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier's brutal hit on Bengals running back Giovani Bernard. Though Bernard was not considered a defenseless player, Shazier drove the crown of his helmet while making the tackle.

The hit appeared to briefly knock Bernard unconscious. He fumbled the ball and the Steelers recovered. During the lengthy timeouts as doctors tended to Bernard and officials reviewed the turnover, fans became riled up as replays of the were played on the video board and people sitting in the south end zone began tossing plastic bottles and beers onto the field. That ugly display continued into the fourth quarter when Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was injured just outside of that end zone. While he was on the turf, several items were tossed his way, and he was later showered with debris as he was driven to the locker room on a cart.

Bryant’s amazing touchdown: The game featured few actual offensive highlights, but Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant’s third-quarter touchdown made up for the lack of fireworks. Bryant reached between his legs to pin the ball to the back of his upper thigh as he somersaulted out of bounds.

“Spectacular. SportsCenter Top 10,” Roethlisberger said.

Whether he actually truly maintained possession was questionable – did he only have one foot down in bounds? – but the touchdown was upheld upon review. Expect to see that highlight for years to come – and for the league to review it this spring as they work to further try to define what is and is not a catch.

Bengals receiver A.J. Green deserves an honorable mention as well for his fourth-quarter touchdown catch. He outjumped two Steelers receivers just outside the end zone, maintained his balance to stroll into the end zone for a go-ahead score. It was Green’s first postseason touchdown of his career.

Hill’s costly fumble: Burfict and Jones will surely take much of the heat for the Bengals’ collapse, but the Steelers’ final drive likely would not have been possible if not for a major mistake from Cincinnati running back Jeremy Hill. Hill had rushed six yards through the heart of the Steelers defense, all the way to the Steelers’ 20-yard line, when Shazier stripped the ball from Hill’s arms. The fumble was recovered by safety Ross Cockrell, giving Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ offense one final shot.

“Jeremy knows he fumbled that football. I don’t have to say anything to him,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. “He’s as disappointed as anybody right now.”

After the game, Lewis defended his decision to run the ball there and try to pick up a first down instead of using their remaining timeouts and attempting a long field goal.