Saturday's wild-card game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers could get ugly really quickly.
During their first of two contentious games this season, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict showed little remorse after tackling Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell out of bounds, leading to a season-ending right knee injury.
Prior to the second encounter, Steelers linebacker Vince Williams tweeted a perceived threat toward Burfict, foreshadowing a pregame scuffle between the AFC North rivals.
Predictably, Burfict holds plenty of animosity toward his upcoming opponent.
"I hate Pittsburgh,” Burfict said Wednesday, according to Ralph N. Paulk of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "It's not personal. That's just the way it is."
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger accused Burfict of a low hit during the Dec. 13 game, and the Bengals linebacker was subsequently fined $69,454.
Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga says the team will avoid any personal vendettas during Saturday's game.
"Obviously, emotions are going to be flying around because it's a playoff game," Maualuga said. “Obviously, we have to tone things down. We're not going to create a personal foul to hurt the team. Sometimes, stuff happens because we let our emotions get the best of us. We can't lose our composure.
"As linebackers, we have to do what makes us successful - and that's playing physical. We are going to play until the whistle is blown."
With a known history of violence between the rivals, Saturday's game ought to be a venomous contest.
