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Pittsburgh steal wildcard win over Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals self-destructed with a fumble, illegal hit and tirade to lose their NFL Playoff against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Australian punter Jordan Berry and the Pittsburgh Steelers are just two NFL wins away from making the Super Bowl after a late comeback win against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals self-destructed in the final 90 seconds of the AFC wildcard playoff with a fumble, a cheap head-hunting shot by linebacker Vontaze Burfict and a tirade by cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones.

The errors put the Steelers in range for a 35-yard game-winning field goal and the improbable 18-16 victory.

With rain falling and a voracious Cincinnati home crowd roaring in the hope of a mistake, Berry calmly caught the snap for the field goal and placed it on the turf for his kicker Chris Boswell who sealed the win.

The Bengals' players and fans, desperate for their first playoff win in 25 years, were condemned for their behaviour.

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The Steelers were leading 15-0 at the end of the third quarter when the game took the first of many major turns.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger left the field with a shoulder injury after being brutally, but legally, sacked by Burfict.

As Roethlisberger was being carted off Bengals fans tossed rubbish and booed him.

The Bengals hit back with two touchdowns to lead 16-15 and with 90 seconds left just had to hold on to the ball and drain the clock.

However, running back Jeremy Hill fumbled, the Steelers recovered the ball and Roethlisberger bravely returned to the field for the last drive.

The Bengals should have contained the Steelers, but Burfict blew the game when he launched a shoulder at the helmet of Steelers' star wide-receiver Antonio Brown and drew a penalty.

Jones, angry that a Steelers linebackers coach was on the field to assist Brown, erupted with a tirade and drew another penalty that put Berry and Boswell in easy range of the game-winning field goal.

Jones, who was shown weeping on the sideline, posted an expletive-laden message on Instagram immediately after the game.

The Steelers' playoff hopes will likely rest with the health of Roethlisberger's shoulder.

Next weekend the Steelers will take on the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos in Denver, with the winner moving on to the AFC Championship game against the winner of the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.

The winner of the AFC Championship plays the NFC champ in the Super Bowl on February 7.

Berry, who a year ago was working at a McDonald's in Melbourne, had seven punts with an average of 37 yards, with three dropping inside the 20-yard line and a long of 47.


3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



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