# The (Lucky) 13th Annual Steelers March to the Super Bowl Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 11, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515 "2015-08-11T01:27:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/221 "2016-01-10T05:17:01Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > That was the ugliest Goddamn game I ever saw. Ever. Agreed! Unbelievable that these were grown men. And the fans? Jeez! ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/222 "2016-01-10T05:20:27Z")
Hope Antonio Brown is okay to go against the Broncos. They have enough injuries to overcome as it is going up against that D. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/223 "2016-01-10T05:27:26Z")
OK, so…the postmortem. And that is a fair word to use after this debacle. It was chippy from the very beginning, as we all knew it would be. The Bengals couldn’t do anything on offense, Pittsburgh couldn’t do much more, a few Bengals players were getting hurt, mostly in the secondary. There were a few personal fouls, notably a (questionable) helmet-to-helmet shot on Wheaton, who ducked his head and got it popped a bit by the shoulder pads. The refs will call that every time, even if it’s close like it was. All was fairly typical of a Steelers-Bengals game. Pittsburgh 9-0 at the half. The second half started out the same way. Then Brown took a pass 60+ with a great run and Bryant made the highlight catch of the year, an absolutely unbelievable touchdown catch. The 2-point conversion failed. 15-0 Steelers. Then Ryan Shazier went helmet-to-helmet with Gio Bernard and knocked him out. It was absolutely an illegal hit but the refs didn’t call it. Making it worse, Tomlin challenged it and got the ball on a fumble. Burfict lost it and played the rest of the game like an unhinged lunatic. Shortly thereafter he crushed Ben on a perfectly legal sack, looking to the whole world like he broke Ben’s collarbone. As Ben was leaving on the cart the Bengal fans were pelting him with garbage. Suddenly the Bengals could do no wrong and Pittsburgh could do no right. The Bengals took the lead on some really good plays and looked like they had earned the win. Landry Fucking Jones threw a pick that looked to seal the victory, but Hill fumbled and gave the ball back with 90 seconds, to go 91 yards. Then Ben came back out, threw some screens, moved the ball, converted 2 4th downs, and then threw it over the middle to Brown. Burfict all but tried to kill him helmet-to-helmet. Personal foul. While Brown was being helped off the field, Pacman Jones either reacted to or started something and pushed a ref while he did. Another 15. Boswell hit the chip shot and that was that. Did I miss anything? I don’t think so. From the time Shazier hit Bernard to the time Burfict hit Brown it was some of the most violent football I’ve ever seen, almost exclusively on the Bengals’ side. Burfict lost his mind, Pacman did what he does best, and the Bengals lost because of it. Boomer, Cowher, and Tony Gonzalez were saying after the game that this falls entirely on Marvin Lewis, because he couldn’t control his players. There’s something to be said for that. But even so, this game was an embarrassment. Pittsburgh played their part in it, but the Bengals and their fans completely embarrassed themselves with their behavior. I’m sure that assertion will cause controversy, but what the fans did was deplorable and what the players did cost them the game. It’s all on them. So who knows what Pittsburgh will have for Denver. Antonio Brown will be lucky if he remembers what planet he is on before Thursday, and who the hell knows what Ben had to play through, or if he can even go next weekend. This game defined Pyrrhic victory. Nobody really won, but damned if Cincinnati didn’t lose. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/224 "2016-01-10T05:29:16Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > That was the ugliest Goddamn game I ever saw. Ever. Agreed. Looked like 70s style NHL or 90s style NBA. That last 30 seconds was gross. The 4th quarter was wild, back and forth. Exciting. Then it ends with a disgusting display of … whatever that was… :eek: :mad: :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/225 "2016-01-10T05:36:58Z")
Brown looked unconscious before even hitting the ground. Replay shows the Bengal taking two or three steps towards Brown after he missed the catch. Not an incidental contact. He targeted. ---
**Author:** ![Dickerman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Dickerman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dickerman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/227 "2016-01-10T07:35:04Z")
That ended up not being a fun game to watch and I’m sorry I did. Here’s hoping for a clean Seahawks-Vikings game, which it should be. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/228 "2016-01-10T13:34:18Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Antonio Brown will be lucky if he remembers what planet he is on before Thursday… I suspect he will miss exactly 6 days of practice. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/229 "2016-01-10T14:00:55Z")
> [@richardhale](#): > > Bengals are cursed. I do believe that now. No, a curse is when despite all of your best efforts you continue to lose. That didn’t happen last night. If Burfict didn’t do what he did they would have won. That’s suicide, not a curse. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/230 "2016-01-10T14:45:18Z")
Is it official yet? That Vontaze Burfict is the dumbest man ever to play in the NFL? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/231 "2016-01-10T14:47:10Z")
Someone with a better understanding of NFL rules than me please explain why Joey Porter wasn’t penalized. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/232 "2016-01-10T15:01:13Z")
Joey Porter was allowed to be on the field. Nothing worth penalizing there. He was out checking on Brown, and when Burfict came over to pat Brown on the helmet, Porter probably said some crap - stupid, and he probably shouldn’t have done it, but that’s not generally a penalty in any game…players need to control their emotions. The refs were also going to let it go that Burfict grabbed Porter…but then Jones went after him like a lunatic, shoving one ref and trying to go through another. There’s not a ref in the league that wouldn’t throw a flag there. [![](https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/euo-W5Vq1rpmVDsnl2iZF_FKCPo=/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/5890785/porter.0.gif) ](https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/euo-W5Vq1rpmVDsnl2iZF_FKCPo=/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/5890785/porter.0.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/233 "2016-01-10T15:20:16Z")
Then there was booing when a player who was clearly unconscious was finally able to stand and throwing garbage at an injured player getting carted off the field. Stay Classy Cincinnati. ---
**Author:** ![Grsz11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Grsz11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grsz11)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/234 "2016-01-10T15:21:35Z")
Porter will probably be fined. If he was bait, Jones is a chump who took it. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/235 "2016-01-11T01:44:11Z")
Let’s not pretend that stupid drunk fans in EVERY NFL venue haven’t thrown shit at players or onto the field before please. That’s just delusional. Watch the recap video on [NFL.com](http://NFL.com) where Maurice Jones Drew talks about playing in Pittsburgh and having batteries thrown at him. The head guy accuses him of making it up. Grats to the Steelers, they won, although they shouldn’t have. I feel terrible for the Bengals offense having fought through numerous penalties, an inability to run the ball and having AJ McCarron at QB to come back like that only to have a couple dumbass defenders lose their damn minds at the most critical juncture of the game. I want Marvin fired for his inability to control that. Well, and for never winning a playoff game. Should be interesting…both Bengals coordinators are interviewing for HC jobs and if they both get hired AND Marvin leaves that’s a huge turnover in staff and I’m not sure Mike Brown’s conservative ass will go for that kind of sudden change. I do agree with **Airman** that the totally dirty hit on Gio Bernard was what really got the train off the rails in that game. That hit was worse than the one on Brown and both should have been flagged. I also think it was a mistake to have that referring crew work the game, parts of which worked the last game where control was also lost. The refs were inept at best. I’m glad to see reason and logic in this thread about the Ben sack by Vontaze. Nothing illegal about it at all. I’m considering switching allegiances to Cleveland. I tire of having expectations and getting kicked in the nuts year after year. At least with them there are none and each win is like Christmas. I’m tired of thus empty husk feeling after every playoff game. This year was a the worst of them all. The Bengals had the game wrapped up. All they needed to do was hang onto the ball, and barring even that…not be stupid. Goddammit. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/236 "2016-01-11T02:11:44Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Is it official yet? That Vontaze Burfict is the dumbest man ever to play in the NFL? Did you happen to see the video of what everybody missed last night? [I’m having a really hard time seeing this as anything but intentional given everything else he did](http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/01/10/burfict-gave-ben-the-business-on-shoulder-injuring-sack/). Cameras catch everything these days. ---
**Author:** ![Grsz11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Grsz11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grsz11)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/237 "2016-01-11T02:15:56Z")
Hard to justify keeping Marvin Lewis, especially if there is truth to the report that some players knew those two would cost them a game because they were never dealt with. ---
**Author:** ![Phlint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c89c15/32.png) [@Phlint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlint)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/238 "2016-01-11T02:19:24Z")
Not so fast on the Burfict hit on Ben being legal. Looks like he threw a knee to the shoulder after the sack: [Burfict gave Ben the business on shoulder-injuring sack - ProFootballTalk](http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/01/10/burfict-gave-ben-the-business-on-shoulder-injuring-sack/) ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/239 "2016-01-11T03:04:13Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > …I want Marvin fired for his inability to control that. Well, and for never winning a playoff game. Should be interesting…both Bengals coordinators are interviewing for HC jobs and if they both get hired AND Marvin leaves that’s a huge turnover in staff and I’m not sure Mike Brown’s conservative ass will go for that kind of sudden change. > > I do agree with **Airman** that the totally dirty hit on Gio Bernard was what really got the train off the rails in that game. That hit was worse than the one on Brown and both should have been flagged… Congrats Pitt on the win. I think you guys are better than the [Denver -7](http://www.vegasinsider.com/nfl/odds/las-vegas/2/) I’m seeing from the initial betting lines. I actually think you’ve a good chance of winning that game, provided Ben’s shoulder is sufficiently healed that he can throw more than five yards down field. Otherwise… But really why I quoted **FGIE** was to ask him (and the rest of you) whether if they fire Marvin Lewis, if then bringing in Tom Coughlin would be a good idea. And if so, whether that makes the Bengals a threat to win the North again next year? Looking back at clips from the game, I agree with the **Airman** ’s take on the whole mess that was the last few minutes of that game. I’d have added an Unsportsmanlike against Joey Porter, which would’ve been an offsetting dead ball foul to Pacman’s idiocy, and thereby not quite have completely given the game to Pittsburgh at that point. 50 yd FG or run another play or two to get closer. I’d have ejected Burfict and Jones too. Best of luck. ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/240 "2016-01-11T03:44:27Z")
While the Shazier hit should’ve drawn a flag and 15 yards, any notion that it’s somehow equivalent to the Burfict hit is beyond ridiculous. Shazier tried to stop a runner. Burfict clearly didn’t give a shit about the ball, which had already sailed well beyond Brown. He instead wanted to hurt a player. It was head-hunting, and could’ve resulted in a career ending injury. I would trade the Steeler win for Burfict being removed from the NFL, or even for that hit to never have happened. What Burfict did is a criminal act in any other setting - an action with the deliberate and sole intent to hurt another person. I rarely find myself agreeing with anything coming out of Baltimore, but here’s a collection of incidents showing that this guy makes a habit of hurting other players: > **[The NFL needs to throw the rulebook at Burfict](https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2016/1/10/10743956/bengals-linebacker-vontaze-burfict-should-be-banned-from-the-nfl)** > > Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict is the absolute, unquestionably, without a doubt in my mind dirtiest player in the game. Sure you could point to a handful of others, but I'll contest... ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515/241 "2016-01-11T04:49:43Z")
I think the Burfict hit was worse, but Shazier should have been flagged. The league needs to change how those hits are dealt with in-game. The overriding purpose of the rule is to protect the players. But if you can knock a guy out and not get flagged in a playoff game, getting fined after the game is over is small price to pay. If the refs are liable to miss some of these calls because of their position on the field and because they happen fast, then those types of personal fouls need to be called by the league and communicated down to the ref. They might even consider making it a 25 yard penalty. It will make it harder on the defenders, and there will be occasional “unfair” penalties arising from bang-bang plays, but I can’t see the players changing how they tackle unless the punishment is severe and guaranteed. I think Marvin Lewis is a pretty good coach who knows how to win with a cheapskate owner like Mike Brown, and I don’t know who could do any better there. It’s not like he makes boneheaded Mike McCarthy-type tactical errors that are costing them playoff games. That 4th quarter was some of the most vicious football I’ve ever seen, and I enjoyed every minute of it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lucky-13th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/727515.md?page=13)