JuJu Smith-Schuster further endeared himself to the Steelers fan base in Week 13 of the 2017 season, when the rookie wide receiver delivered a vicious block on LB Vontaze Burfict, who had a history of less-than-clean hits against the Steelers. Burfict knocked Antonio Brown out with a concussion in the team’s playoff matchup the year before, and Smith-Schuster enacted some revenge by laying out Burfict in an eventual 23-20 Steelers win that was marred by Ryan Shazier’s career-ending neck injury.
Appearing on The Pomp & Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan on Thursday, former Steelers OG David DeCastro recalled his initial reaction to the hit and said it bumped the team up.
“It bumps you up for sure. That was a crazy hit. I was right there for it too, it was like what just happened? The energy in those games were always high, you came in stressed out, knowing it was gonna be a battle.”
The mid-2010s saw the Steelers-Bengals rivalry heat up, largely due to the antics of Burfict. The Bengals crowd also threw things at QB Ben Roethlisberger when he left the 2016 playoff game with an injury, and RB Jeremy Hill stomped on the Terrible Towel in a game between the two. Tensions were undoubtedly high between the two sides, and Smith-Schuster’s hit fired up the fanbase.
Smith-Schuster was issued a one-game fine for the hit and his actions after, where he stood over a concussed Burfict on the ground. He apologized after the game and said he had no intentions of injuring Vontaze Burfict.
Even though it cost Smith-Schuster a game, it was a hit that seemed to fire up his Steelers teammates during a game where Shazier’s injury cast a dark cloud. It was one of the defining plays of Smith-Schuster’s Steelers tenure and cemented his status as a tough, physical wide receiver.
It was also a key point in the Steelers-Bengals rivalry, which remains while being a lot less chippy now. There’s genuine dislike for the Steelers in Cincinnati, but for the most part, the Steelers have retained the upper-hand over the Bengals in head-to-head battles between the two over the last decade.
Burfict’s disdain for the Steelers hasn’t waned either, as even post-retirement he talked about playing dirty against the Steelers. He also claimed he was trying to grab Smith-Schuster’s leg after the hit and tried to get up to do more but stayed down on the field because of concussion protocol.
It’s a play that Steelers fans and players might remember fondly, but the sentiment for Burfict and Cincinnati is quite different.
