The AFC North clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals was always going to be a feisty affair, and that was clear to see throughout the game, especially in one incident in the fourth quarter of the contest.

The Steelers had a 2nd-and-10 with just over seven minutes to go in the last quarter of the game and they were down on the scoreboard against the Bengals 20-13. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger dumped the ball off to his check-down option on the play in LeVeon Bell, who managed to run past the first down marker.

While Bell was running with the ball towards the first down marker, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict was lining himself up and getting ready to make a tackle when he became the victim of an illegal peel-back block.

Steelers rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster absolutely lit up the Cincinnati star on the play, sending him crashing to the ground, which allowed Bell to keep on running towards the first down marker.

He ended up receiving two penalties on the play, one for the hit against a defenseless player, and the other for taunting. Burfict was carted off the field while immobilized and evaluated for a head injury. However, he did eventually walk into the locker room under his own power. He's now on the league's concussion protocol.

Smith-Schuster will likely be fined, or possibly even suspended for his actions, and it's clear to see why from the video of the play further down in this article. He was arguably lucky not to get ejected for this play.

Six plays later and the Steelers were able to cap off the drive by scoring a touchdown, tying the game at 20-20. On their next drive, they kicked a game-winning field goal to win 23-20 on the night against their AFC North rivals.

The rookie apologized for his actions after the game, saying according to ESPN: "I didn’t know it was Burfict at first. All I saw was the first Bengal was going to tackle … and my instinct is I gotta block for my teammate.

“And me just playing ball, I hit him. After I seen the replay I think I should’ve held back a little bit more from blocking him. Also, I believe that that’s not me. I should’ve never stood over him. I apologize for that and with that being said, I hope he gets better.”

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin wasn't happy with the rookie’s actions either, as he said: “[Smith-Schuster] shouldn’t have stood over him … We want to play within the rules; we respect player safety,” said Tomlin. “I can assess a judgment on the fact that he stood over him and that’s not how we play and that’s not reflective of the sportsman he is. I’m sure he’s sorry for that.”

The Steelers will now prepare to play against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, while the Bengals will get ready for their game against the Chicago Bears.