Bengals Bytes (1/11): Sticking together

Key calls that swayed Bengals-Steelers playoff game | NBC SportsWorld
The Vontaze Burfict hit on Antonio Browns was one of many calls by the refs that swayed the playoff game between the Bengals and Steelers.

6 arrested in assaults during Steelers-Bengals game
Emotions ran high on the field and in the stands during the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers Wild-Card game Saturday night, leading to at least six fan arrests by the game's end.

Cincinnati Bengals keeping Marvin Lewis on board for stability
Dysfunction is common in today's NFL. Just four hours up Interstate 71 from here, the Cleveland Browns have been giving a crash course in it since their return to the league in 1999. What typically breeds that dysfunction? Constant quarterback searches, regular general manager changes, infighting within the front office and coaching ranks, quick-trigger firings, a series of poor draft classes and an unwillingness to adapt to an ever-evolving pro sports landscape are just a few of its defining characteristics.

Vontaze Burfict roller coaster got going, Bengals couldn't get off
Rey Maualuga was clairvoyant. But even he couldn't have predicted the wild emotional swings his teammate, linebacker Vontaze Burfict, would take the Cincinnati Bengals on in the final two minutes of Saturday's AFC wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was during the game's roller-coaster finish that Maualuga's words from three days earlier started ringing true.

Insider Buzz: Giants Expected to Interview Hue Jackson, 49ers' Hire on Hold
One of the NFL's top head coaching candidates of the offseason is Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who has been pursued by several teams, including the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns.

Vontaze Burfict Reportedly Facing Suspension for Hit on Antonio Brown
Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict could face a suspension as a result of his hit on Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown on Saturday night, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. The basis for that possible suspension comes from the fact Burfict is a repeat offender who was fined "nearly $70,000 for hits and penalties in the Bengals' Week 14 game against the Steelers," per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com.

Green: I wouldn't trade Vontaze and Jones for anything
In the moments after a white-knuckle loss to the rival Steelers, the Bengals had to do their best to remain a team. This is what meltdowns are made of. And while some questioned the antics of Adam Jones and Vontaze Burfict privately, some of the team's cornerstone players came out in support of the maligned defensive players.

Random Bytes

Media Circus: No ceiling for NFL ratings in near-future
If you wanted a game to explain the powerful hold the NFL has over television viewers, you would do very well by choosing Pittsburgh’s 18-16 win over Cincinnati on Saturday night in the AFC Wild Card game. It was equal parts compelling, dirty, unwatchable, violence-filled, magnificent (Martavis Bryant’s touchdown catch), and you could not take your eyes off the screen. I can only speak for myself that I felt both enthralled and guilty at the same time as I watched the carnage in front of me. I wanted to look away. I could not look away.

2016 NFL Draft Order: Updated Selection List After Wild Card Weekend
The 2016 NFL draft order is closer to being determined following Sunday's conclusion to Wild Card Weekend. Four teams were eliminated ahead of the divisional round and joined the other 20 whose draft slots had already been determined. The remainder of the playoffs will decide where the current elite teams wind up picking, based on record and strength of schedule as a tiebreaker.

Packers vs. Redskins: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NFL Playoffs
After closing out the regular season with back-to-back losses, the Green Bay Packers found their swagger in the Wild Card Round against the Washington Redskins. Going on the road against the NFC East champions, the Packers walked away with a 35-18 win Sunday.

Blair Walsh goes from hero to goat with 27-yard miss
The Minnesota Vikings have a long list of agonizing playoff defeats. So it seems only fitting that their latest was ripped straight from the plot of "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." Kicker Blair Walsh shanked a 27-yard field goal in the closing seconds after holder Jeff Locke couldn't spin the ball to get the laces out, handing the Seattle Seahawks a 10-9 victory on Sunday in their wild-card playoff round game.

Answering the big questions ahead of the NFL divisional playoffs
Wild-card weekend lived up to its name, with the Chiefs winning convincingly, the Bengals and Vikings losing incomprehensibly and the Packers’ offense finding itself at Washington. But now the heavyweights enter the ring. Rested and ready, next week’s home teams all have real quarterbacks and appear better equipped to defend their turf than this weekend’s hosts did.