Burfict, Porter could face punishment after raucous playoff game

This one was the worst of the seven under Lewis. And it will shake the franchise for a long time.

With the Steelers still needing yards to get within field goal range on Saturday, Burfict gave them the boost they needed by taking a shot at Brown’s head.

“If Marvin Lewis can’t control his players, then maybe Marvin shouldn’t be on the sidelines coaching”, former Bengals quarterback and CBS analyst Boomer Esiason said after the game, according to Pro Football Talk/NBC sports. The Bengals appeared to seal it when a diving Burfict picked off Landry Jones’ pass with 1:36 left.

As Boswell’s field goal sailed through the uprights, jubilation turned to heartache for the Bengals.

But, then, the self-destruction began. Take your bitch ass out of here …’ So I turned to him and said, ‘Why are you talking?’ I didn’t even touch him.

The Vikings (11-6) took the ball back with 1:42 left at their 39 and, aided by a pass interference penalty on Kam Chancellor, drove deep into Seattle’s territory.

Cincinnati let it all slip away with a Jeremy Hill fumble, followed by those 30 yards in penalties.

“It’s hard to put into words”, said Hill, who failed to run for 100 yards in any game this season.

“I was just telling the coaches out there they [Steelers players] were cussing out Adam”, he explained.

They looked to have stalled at halfway, but two personal foul calls – a ferocious late hit to the head by Burfict against receiver Antonio Brown and another 15-yard personal foul to cornerback Adam Jones – gifted them field position for Chris Boswell to knock over a 35-yard field goal.

The first personal foul penalty came from an unlikely source, Pittsburgh Hall of Fame offensive line coach Mike Munchak, flagged for grabbing Reggie Nelson’s hair after the safety found himself mixing it up with a couple of Steelers after pushing Todman out of bounds.

Burfict’s status as a repeat offender could lead to a suspension. Lewis is 0-7 in the playoffs as a head coach and can’t get over the hump.

The Bengals (12-5) won the AFC North and tied the club record for victories in a season.

Surely, there were numbers of plays for the Bengals to win the game if it ended on their side instead it went to the Steelers.

Quarterback Alex Smith led the Chiefs to their first playoff win in 22 years. Dan Fouts threw five interceptions to make that one possible. Steelers outside linebackers coach Joey Porter is reportedly expected to be fined for his involvement on the field following the hit.

An injury gave the Bengals their opening.

Burfict was already fined $69,454 by the National Football League for three penalties committed against the Steelers in Week 14, including a low hit on Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger.