Bengals' Hill reflects on critical fumble vs. Steelers

Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill came to terms with the lowest point of his professional career Monday.

The Bengals held a 16-15 lead in January's wild card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, relying on Hill to close out the game.

Chaos ensued with one minute and 36 seconds remaining when Hill fumbled, the Steelers recovered, and eventually hit the game-winning field goal to eliminate the Bengals.

Hill approached his costly mistake directly in a 20-minute interview with reporters.

"It's still the elephant in the room any time I walk in somewhere," Hill said to reporters Monday, according to ESPN's Coley Harvey. "So you can't outrun it. You can't run away from that."

Although it's certainly the worst moment during Hill's tenure with the Bengals, the 23-year-old said the fumble doesn't compare to other moments he's endured outside of football.

"I've overcome some tough obstacles in my life, and that play, as big as it is, and as big as that moment was for our city and our team, that's not the hardest thing I've had to go through in my life," Hill said. "It's just adversity in my career, and I can let that play define me, or I can move past it and be the player this organization and this team knows I can be."

Hill recorded 20 rushing touchdowns through his first two seasons in Cincinnati and figures to be an instrumental part of the Bengals' offense for the foreseeable future.

The play will live in infamy for Bengals fans, but Hill put the moment behind him and is focused ahead of the 2016 season.

"I know who I am as a runner and as an athlete and as a player," Hill said. "I definitely can't let that play define me."