Former Steelers LB Ryan Shazier Defends His Harsh Hit Against Bengals During 2015 Playoffs

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of four teams that play in the AFC North division, which is widely regarded as the toughest and most physical division in all of the NFL. Trash talk will be traded back and forth, and violent hits will be made -- anything to hurt the other team mentally or physically will be at the forefront. Of course, most of the time, players aren't purposely trying to significantly hurt one another and affect others' careers in the long run, but in the NFL, sometimes big hits are unavoidable. 

There have been many dramatic and intense moments that the Steelers have encountered versus their division rivals in recent years. In 2019, Mason Rudolph and Myles Garrett famously started a huge scuffle at the end of a regular season game in Cleveland in which Rudolph's helmet was ripped off. Garrett proceeded to swing the helmet towards the direction of Rudolph's head and a huge dog-pile was created at the end of the field. 

Rudolph was also in another scary incident where he was severely concussed after a hit against the Baltimore Ravens just a few weeks before the incident in Cleveland. Along with the Ravens and Cleveland Browns, the Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals also have some bad blood between one another.

In the 2015 Wild Card Round, former Steelers middle linebacker Ryan Shazier laid a nasty hit on Bengals running back Giovani Bernard, which struck much animosity between the two teams at the time. In the same game, Vontaze Burfict knocked out Antonio Brown, who some fans believe ultimately changed Brown's career. In another meeting shortly after the playoff game, JuJu Smith-Schuster retaliated by taking out Burfict with a big hit. 

Appearing on The Arthur Moats Experience, Shazier defended himself against the hit he had on Bernard, who some called Shazier dirty for. 

"People were like, 'Man, that was a dirty hit,'" Shazier started. "I'm like, bro, I was just running as fast as I can and I ended up hitting him. I wasn't even trying, bro. I just went up there to hit him like a regular hit, bro. Yeah, I was just running so fast."

Shazier's speed was electric and was one of his best attributes. He was so fast as a middle linebacker that he could line up against almost anybody in the NFL. After the game, Shazier posted on social media trying to clear the air and apologize to Bernard. 

At the end of the day, regardless of your rivals, each NFL player plays for the same league and for the same reason. Players can turn out to hate each other, but a person like Shazier, who seems to have a positive attitude, purposely hurting someone seems unlikely. Although, Bengals fans still took the hit on Bernard personally. The hit in which Shazier led with his helmet on Bernard wound up becoming a league-wide rule that prohibited the hit. 

Steelers Haven't Had Any Unnecessary Aggression In AFC North Lately

In the last few seasons, there really hasn't been a whole lot of drama or any unnecessary scuffles with the Steelers in the AFC North. The only notable moment was at the end of the 2024 snow-bowl in Cleveland where George Pickens got into it with some Browns defensive backs nearby the fans behind the end zone. It may be time for someone on the Steelers to bring some fire back into the classic rivalries, without getting too insanely vicious.

What do you think about Shazier's comments defending his hit on Bernard in the 2015 playoffs? Did you think the hit on Bernard was dirty? What are some memorable AFC North moments that were hostile? Let us know in the comments below.

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