After the rout the Kansas City Chiefs handed the Houston Texans, Andy Reid‘s team advanced to the AFC Divisional Round. Quarterback Alex Smith and company just had to wait for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals to finish their game to know who their opponent would be. Now the Chiefs know they will be facing the New England Patriots, and the six seed Steelers will take on the Denver Broncos since the Bengals failed to secure their first playoff win since their victory over the Houston Oilers on Jan. 6, 1991. Multiple players contributed to Pittsburgh’s victory, but the play that will be shown over and over is the touchdown catch Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant made with about five minutes left in the third quarter.
This game was not the most entertaining in the first half, but the fourth quarter was crazy, and ultimately embarrassing for the Bengals. Pittsburgh led 15-0 entering the fourth quarter and Cincy took a 16-15 lead but then incredibly stupid penalties by the Bengals in the final minute of the game allowed the Steelers to attempt a 35-yard field opportunity, which Chris Boswell converted, giving the Steelers an 18-16 lead. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was carted to the locker room at the beginning of the fourth quarter with a right shoulder injury after a hit from Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict. When Big Ben left the game he had thrown for 189 yards and one touchdown and Landry Jones took over. Roethlisberger did come back for the Steelers final drive and he finished with 229 yards and a touchdown.
Here at Last Word on Sports, we’ll be handing out post game awards immediately after each NFL playoff game. In particular, we’ll be naming a game MVP, most surprising performance, an unsung hero and the biggest disappointment.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at which players distinguished themselves (both good and bad) with their performance today.
Bengals vs Steelers Post Game Awards
Game MVP
Chris Boswell
I know it’s weird to have a place kicker as the MVP, but Chris Boswell was 4/4 (all from 30-39 yards), including the game winner and the Steelers only put up 18 points. In much less than ideal conditions and, what must have been, a ton of pressure on the final field goal try, Boswell came through huge for his team.
You can certainly also make a case for wide receiver Antonio Brown who finished the game with seven catches for 119 yards. Although he never found the endzone, Brown certainly made his presence known and he helped the offense move throughout the game. You probably can’t go wrong with either player, but I’m going with Boswell since he was perfect on the night, and Pittsburgh needed him to be just that.
Surprise Performance
Fitzgerald Toussaint
I’m sure no one thought running back Fitzgerald Toussaint would have much of an impact on a Steelers playoff game, but Le’Veon Bell was lost for the season and put on season-ending IR earlier in the year. DeAngelo Williams had picked up the slack out of the backfield but, due to a foot injury, he could not play against the Bengals. Toussaint was inserted into the lineup and the former Michigan Wolverine took full advantage of the opportunity. He contributed by both catching and running the ball. Coming into the game Toussaint had just 54 career rushing yards in the regular season, but he finished the Steelers Wild Card game with 17 carries for 58 yards and four receptions for 60 yards.
Unsung Hero
Ryan Shazier
Coming into the game it was Pittsburgh’s defense that was suspect, but they played well against the Bengals and linebacker Ryan Shazier was a big reason why. The former Ohio State Buckeye had six tackles (two for loss) in the first half. He finished the game with 13 tackles and he forced and recovered a fumble, while also pressuring Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron throughout the night. Steelers linebacker Jarvis Jones also forced a fumble when he sacked Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron, but he ended the game with four tackles, which fell well short of Shazier’s numbers. While there is no denying that Jones had an impact on the game, Shazier makes the most sense as the unsung hero.
Biggest Disappointment
A.J. McCarron
It might be kind of unfair to say that McCarron was the biggest disappointment, since he was making his first playoff start and only his fourth career start (due to Andy Dalton‘s injury). And for much of the game the former Alabama quarterback didn’t get much help from anyone else on the Cincinnati’s offense, particularly in the first half. But the fact is, McCarron didn’t play well for much of the game, throwing for 212 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also fumbled the ball three times, losing one of them. I know the conditions weren’t ideal, with the rain, but McCarron didn’t play well and his team needed him to perform much better than he did.
Main Photo:
