There might be no player more hated when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans than former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Burfict played for the Bengals for eight seasons and every time he took on the Steelers, everyone knew at some point during the game, Burfict would go out of his way to make a dirty hit and try to hurt a Steeler. Bengals fans have wanted to argue this for years but aside from the video proof, now we have Burfict himself admitting this was his plan all along.
According to Burfict, Pittsburgh was the only team he made a point to hit people after the play. We can’t confirm that it never happened to other teams but Burfict’s reputation with the Steelers was clear. Maybe the most famous was during the 2015 playoffs when Burfict went helmet-to-helmet on wide receiver Antonio Brown. Not only did it result in a personal foul and a suspension, but it also kept the Steelers drive alive and allowed them to beat the Bengals on a Chris Boswell field goal.
Some of Burfict’s animosity toward the Steelers comes from his Bengals struggles during his time in Cincinnati. The Steelers went 14-3 against the Bengals from 2012-2018.
