Steelers vs Bengals AFC Wild Card
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant (10) makes a touchdown catch over Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (27) during the third quarter in the AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

This one had it all.

The NFL Playoffs kicked off on Saturday, with two AFC Wild Card matchups. After a 30-0 demolition of the Houston Texans by the Kansas City Chiefs in the afternoon, the nightcap between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals was quite possibly one of the greatest playoff games you'll ever see.

First off, the two teams are longtime AFC North Division rivals, and to say that they hate each other would be an understatement. Heavy rain in Ohio set the backdrop for the story on Saturday as the Steelers jumped out to a 15-0 lead after the third quarter.

Scoreless through three quarters of the game, the chances of the Bengals winning their first playoff game since 1991 seemed hopeless. But, a defensive pass interference penalty to start the fourth quarter placed the ball on the Pittsburgh 4-yard line and the Bengals finally got on the board with a touchdown one-play later.

The touchdown swung the momentum to Cincinnati, who quickly responded with 16 unanswered points and took a 16-15 lead with just 1:38 remaining in the game. The Steelers Super Bowl dreams appeared to be dashed as Vontaze Burfict knocked Ben Roethlisberger out of the game just a few minutes earlier.

With Roethlisberger ailing on the sideline, the Steelers put backup quarterback, Landry Jones, into the game to hopefully drive Pittsburgh down the field for a game winning field goal. But, Jones' first pass attempt from scrimmage was intercepted by Burfict and the controversial linebacker, who has candidly spoken about his hatred of the Steelers and their players, raced down the field and into the tunnel to celebrate what appeared to be the game-winning interception.

Cincinnati had the ball with just 1:24 remaining until their first playoff victory under head coach Marvin Lewis. All the Bengals needed to do was run the clock out. They could have taken three knees if they wanted to, but then, the impossible happened…

On the first play of the clock-killing drive, Bengals running back Jeremy Hill, unthinkably fumbled the ball and the Steelers recovered it on their own 12-yard line. Yes, they still had to drive nearly 70 yards down the field with just over a minute left to play. Yes, their All-Pro QB was on the sideline injured, but, they still had hope.

Suddenly, from amongst the shadows and the sea of black and yellow, the Steelers savior trotted onto the field. He had a possible dislocated right shoulder on his throwing arm, but it didn't matter, this was for NFL immortality, this was the stuff of legends, and the Steelers season was on the line.

So Roethlisberger trots back onto the field and quickly orchestrates a seven-play drive, converting one fourth down and brings the Steelers to their own 41-yard line. They're only about 25-yards out of field goal range, but problem is, they only have 22 seconds left, and no timeouts remaining.

After their final timeout, Roethlisberger huddles up and tells the best receiver in the NFL this season, Antonio Brown, that he's calling his number. CBS cameras show a close up of Jeremy Hill on the Cincinnati sideline near tears, praying that he will not be responsible for the team's season coming to an end. Thankfully for Hill, he wasn't… but Vontaze Burfict was.

Roethlisberger sails a pass over the head of Brown on the next play, and improbably, Burfict lowered his helmet and nearly decapitated Brown, a defenseless receiver at the time. The referee's immediately threw the flag, as Brown lay unconscious on the ground. Bedlam ensued, and the Bengals imploded.

Another personal foul penalty was called on Adam "Pacman" Jones who lost his cool on Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter who had come onto the field to corral his players. The Steelers were given 36 free yards on the play, Chris Boswell, hit the relatively easy, 35-yard, game-winning field goal, and the game was over.

Infamy, or idiocracy, in the end only one thing mattered, the Pittsburgh Steelers are headed to Denver for a showdown with the AFC Champion Broncos next Sunday, and the Bengals longstanding winless streak in the playoffs grew to 25 years and counting.

It was a spectacular game that left most people speechless. The highlights are below unless the NFL removes the video for copyright infringement. Make sure to watch the final 30 seconds of the clip while you still can.

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