Nov 22nd 2008 11:30AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, Steelers, AFC North, NFL Fans

Save the first 12 minutes of the game, the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh Thursday night affair went pretty much as you might expect: the undermanned Bengals couldn’t keep up with the division-leading Steelers and after 60 minutes of football, they were 1-9-1 (thanks, Philly!).

In Week 7, last time these two teams met, Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward knocked linebacker Keith Rivers out for the year. There were the inevitable conversations about payback and revenge, but ultimately, Ward emerged from the Week 12 tilt unscathed. Santonio Holmes, however, did not.

Early in the third quarter, Ben Roethlisberger, facing a Cincinnati blitz, hit Holmes on a slant pattern. It was a well-executed pass-and-catch except that Bengals safety Chris Crocker read the play perfectly. Amazingly, Holmes’ head didn’t come detached from his body. Not so amazingly, Holmes staggered off the field and didn’t return.

After the game, everybody in Pittsburgh’s locker room agreed: Crocker’s hit was a clean one, and since this is still (although barely) tackle football, players should be allowed to, you know, tackle other players.Continue Reading