Monday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals featured a number of eye-popping hits, and two of them have resulted in suspensions.
The NFL announced on Tuesday that Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and Bengals safety George Iloka have each been suspended for one game.
JuJu Smith-Schuster & George Iloka have each been suspended 1 game for violations of safety-related playing rules. pic.twitter.com/OyDq7Ca4jy
— Michael Signora (@NFLfootballinfo) December 5, 2017
Smith-Schuster leveled Vontaze Burfict with an illegal peel-back block, and he didn’t help his cause by standing over the Bengals linebacker and taunting him after he leveled him. The type of block the rookie threw was outlawed several years back, and he was flagged 15 yards.
Juju with a nasty block.. #PITvsCIN #MNF pic.twitter.com/PzQSPu5TN1
— Defend The House (@DTHFootball) December 5, 2017
Iloka’s suspension stems from a brutal helmet-to-helmet shot he threw on Antonio Brown in the end zone:
Unreal. Bengals respond with a brutal hit from S George Iloka on Steelers WR Antonio Brown. pic.twitter.com/DoLMgjHuqi
— Clint Lamb (@ClintRLamb) December 5, 2017
Of course, many Steelers fans took satisfaction in Smith-Schuster’s hit because Burfict was on the receiving end. The Bengals linebacker has a long history of dirty play and has been suspended for it himself, which is why one Pittsburgh player essentially celebrated the hit after the game.
After Rob Gronkowski was suspended for a cheap shot on a Buffalo Bills defender, Smith-Schuster and Iloka give us three players who have been suspended for in-game hits this week.
