Steelers' AFC North Rival Roquan Smith Credits Baltimore Defense For Joe Burrow's Injury In Disgusting Fashion

While the Pittsburgh Steelers gained a serious advantage after a brutal Thursday Night Football game. The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Cincinnati Bengals to open up Week 11, and both teams suffered major injuries. Mark Andrews, Baltimore's top receiving threat, is out for the year after getting taken down on a hip-drop tackle. On the other side, Joe Burrow left the game with a wrist injury, and his timetable to return is unclear. 

Steelers Are Finally Not In A Controversial AFC North Mess

Both injuries are terrible, but the postgame press conferences might have been even worse. There wasn't much on Cincinnati's end, with the only news of note was Burrow's hand/wrist being wrapped up, along with him being unavailable to the media. In the other locker room, there were some terrible comments flying through. 

John Harbaugh brought up Andrews' injury, as one would expect him to. In the process, he went after Logan Wilson, claiming that the tackle was not necessary. While the hip-drop tackle is one of the more dangerous plays in football, there's also very little that a defender can do when he's behind the ball-carrier. As unfortunate as it is, the tackle was necessary, and the result was not what anyone wanted.

Sure, football can be an emotional game sometimes, so Harbaugh's reactions might not be completely unwarranted. However, when you combine that with what his own player says, that comment looks so much worse. The hypocrisy comes out in full force. 

Roquan Smith was interviewed on the field after the game was over. He opened up his statement speaking highly of Burrow, and then he immediately threw it out the window. Instead of stopping after the praise, he talked about how Burrow had it coming, and for no other reason than playing against the Ravens. 

"You know he's a great player and I have a lot of respect for him. The way he play the game. But, hey, injuries are part of the game. So, when you play the Ravens D some times things like that happen," Smith said after the game.

Harbaugh's statements about the potential unnecessary hit came after Smith said, "when you play the Ravens D, sometimes things like that happens." Smith justified injuring an opponent by saying those things happen, specifically when playing against Baltimore, yet Wilson's tackle was supposedly not necessary per his head coach. That is the kind of hypocrisy that causes teams to lose respect for each other. The AFC North has seen many instances of that from all sides, and the Bengals now have bulletin board material for their 2024 matchups. 

Of course, none of the injuries are fun to see. Two of the best players in the league went down with injuries, with at least one of them being out for the season. The Ravens just handled the situation with so little class and respect in the process. Harbaugh's statements could be fine on his own, but when you combine that with Smith's garbage comments, you get a level of hypocrisy that is rarely ever seen between two teams. 

The worst part is that teams might send that hypocrisy back. That mindset could lead to their opponents trying to hit them harder. The Steelers have been on both ends of the spectrum, but it is still terrible for the game, as well as both teams involved. 

What do you think about the comments made by Harbaugh and Smith, as well as the devastating injuries to both teams? Let us know in the comments.

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