Last night’s game between the Steelers and the Bengals was another hard hitting affair and it, unfortunately, produced too many scary moments.
First Steelers’ linebacker Ryan Shazier was carted off the field after a scary hit on Bengals’ receiver Josh Malone. Fortunately we’ve learned that he doesn’t require surgery at this time and he looks to be in stable condition. Later in the game, the Steelers’ Le’Veon Bell took a pass from Ben Roethlisberger and as he turned up field, JuJu Smith-Schuster laid a vicious, illegal, helmet to helmet crack back block on the Bengals’ Vontaze Burfict, after which he taunted the completely leveled and dazed linebacker by standing over him.
Steve Noah on Twitter
JuJu lays out Burfict https://t.co/e74GmPNN5a
The Steelers were penalized for the play and Burfict was carted off the field. A little while later, the Steelers were in scoring position and Ben threw to Antonio Brown in the end zone. As he rose and secured the catch, Bengals’ safety George Iloka blasted Brown with a helmet to helmet hit. Brown held on to the ball and the Bengals were penalized for the dirty play.
Casey Baker on Twitter
Antonio Brown oh my god. #Steelers https://t.co/6hTjjF8ahQ
Both plays deserved penalties and both players absolutely deserved to be penalized after the game, which they were today as they both received one game suspensions. The problem is that these judgments put those plays, and the punishments administered, on the same level as Gronk’s hit Sunday on the truly defenseless Tre’Davious White of the Bills.
The Shadow League on Twitter
Rob Gronkowski has been suspended one game for this cheap shot on Tre’Davious White. https://t.co/qJJMZ8CiIL
If the League is truly sincere about protecting its players, not just their star players, then they would increase Gronk’s suspension to three games for when compared to what JuJu and Iloka did, it’s clear that the former was much more lethal and purposeful than the latter.
