In a Wild Card Playoffs game that had a crazy ending, the Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to the next round of the postseason, but wide receiver Antonio Brown had a concussion and is in the National Football League's (NFL) concussion protocol program.
Brown suffered the injury in the closing moments of the fourth quarter when the Steelers were going for the win down, 16–15.
Steelers franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was looking to connect with Brown, but threw an incomplete pass as the wide receiver was hit with a shoulder to the head by Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
Burfict was called for the foul and the Steelers stole the win with a field goal to set a Divisional Playoffs matchup with the Denver Broncos.
Brown finished the game leading all receivers with seven catches for 119 yards, with the injury a huge blow to the Steelers' offense since he is the team's leading receiver this 2015 season.
In 16 regular season games, the 27-year-old had career-bests with 136 receptions for 1,834 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The status of Brown is uncertain and there is a possibility he would not join the Steelers when they face Denver on Sunday, since he needs to be cleared from the protocol before returning to the field.
Meanwhile for Burfict, the hit on Brown's head may mean a suspension since he is a "repeat offender," according to ESPN.
The report stated that in a Week 14 game also versus Pittsburgh, Burfict was fined $69,454 for infractions during the game.
As the Steelers move on and prepare for the Divisional Playoffs, the Bengals' meltdown in Saturday's game led them to a familiar slump.
In the past five seasons, Cincinnati has lost in the Wild Card Playoffs, with head coach Marvin Lewis going 0–7 in playoff games but will likely not get sacked after another failed campaign this season.
