The late penalty that doomed the Bengals was provoked by a Steelers coach illegally on the field

SB Nation ^ | Jan 11, 2016 | Cyd Zeigler

[Leaning Right]

Lost amidst the finger-pointing at the Cincinnati Bengals' utter collapse at the end of their playoff loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers is the strange actions by Steelers linebackers coach and former player Joey Porter.

[Leaning Right]

Looks like a deliberate set-up to draw a penalty.

And that made my feel bad for Bengals fans...until I remembered how they cheered when Roethlisberger was injured, and how at least one bottle was thrown at him as he left the field.

[dfwgator]

A Steeler coach illegally on the field? Naaaah!

[mrsmith]

So what? Nearly all penalties are ‘provoked’.

[Leaning Right]

So what? Nearly all penalties are "provoked".

True, but it's usually the provoker who gets the penalty, not the provokee (I'm assuming that "provokee" is actually a word!).

[day10]

The only fitting end to this game would have been for both teams to lose.

[discostu]

During injury timeouts LOTS of people wind up on the field that the rules say shouldn’t be. You always get players and coaches milling about. Given this situation I don’t doubt the league will be looking at actually enforcing restrictions during injuries. Though the quoted rule doesn’t actually apply, that’s about team timeouts, this was an injury timeout, which probably has similar rules but would be in a different section.

[MikeSteelBe]

Ever since the NFL selected Green Bay to beat Dallas last year, I can not take the outcome of the games seriously anymore.

The NFL is a fraudulent as “Pro” wrestling and US presidential elections.

Maybe the NFL will select a team to beat the Patriots this year.

[Old Retired Army Guy]

Sounds like sour grapes to me. Those two Bengal “Thugs” deserved their penalties and should be fined for stupidity.

[mrsmith]

I don’t see that.
It’s a sports axiom that it’s the one responding who gets called.

If 24 had called the ref’s attention to the infraction instead of pushing and shoving what a difference it might have made.

[rktman]

Besides, too late now. No red flags allowed.

[Old Retired Army Guy]

I don’t know about selecting a team to beat the Patriots, but they are going to have their hands full with Kansas City.

[dainbramaged]

Bengals blew it and the Steelers coach got away without a flag for his actions. I don’t see them beating Denver, though - but that’s why they play the games.

[Vigilanteman]

Not to mention the 15 yard penalty imposed on the Steelers for end zone celebration of a touchdown. The touchdown was negated but the penalty was not.

It seems like poetic justice to me.

Plus no team deserves to lose a game when they make a somersault touchdown and STILL manage to keep the ball held to the body. That was way cool!

[Leaning Right]

Not sour grapes, as far as I'm concerned. I was in a family football pool where the winner must pick the victor, and by how much. I picked Steelers by 2.

[Leaning Right]

If 24 had called the ref's attention to the infraction instead of pushing and shoving what a difference it might have made.

Yep, that's actually the bottom line here.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Looks like a deliberate set-up to draw a penalty.

Or to help lose a game you had bet money on.

[2banana]

#blackcoachesonthefieldmatter

[discostu]

The general axiom on mutual idiocy is “the action draws the ref’s attention, the reaction draws a penalty”, ie the provoker usually gets away with it.

[qam1]

Ever since the NFL selected Green Bay to beat Dallas last year

And that was after they selected Dallas to beat Detroit, because a Dallas-Green Bay playoff would have much bigger ratings.

[chopperman]

Already this season Burfict has inflicted 2 hits on Ben that took him out of games, 1 hit that took Bell out of the season and then he tried to kill A.B.

The coach was out there to protect his team.

What you most likely haven't seen is Burfict kneeing Ben's shoulder after Ben was down:

Knee to Shoulder