Consecutive 15-yard penalties on Vontaze Burfict and Adam Jones set up the Steelers' game-winning field goal on a wild Saturday night in Cincinnati, but Pittsburgh wouldn't have been in a position to capitalize if not for Jeremy Hill's fumble.
With that in mind, the second-year running back took full responsibility for the Bengals' stunning 18-16 loss — a game it appeared the home team had won when Burfict intercepted Landry Jones on the Steelers' first play after Cincinnati had taken a 16-15 lead. The next play saw Ryan Shazier strip Hill, and a Ross Cockrell recovery set up the unbelievable finish.
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“It’s hard to put into words, but this one is on me,” Hill said, via the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Even if I lose yards every play. You can’t turn the ball over.”
Of course, Hill might not have played a pivotal role in the game's fateful moments if Giovani Bernard hadn't been knocked out of the game by a helmet-to-helmet hit by Shazier. That play late in the third quarter sparked the Bengals, who were down 15-0 at the time, with Hill and Burfict charging onto the field, upset that the Steelers were celebrating as the injured Bernard lay on the ground.
“I was just a little upset they are celebrating,” Hill said. “That’s all. Gio works so hard, just seeing how he works and everything he does for this team. To see someone hit him in the head like that and he be laid up like that and laid out like that and see people celebrate, I lost it at that point. That’s not football to me. That’s beside the point.”
Bernard left the field and did not return, leaving the rushing load to Hill the rest of the way.
