That’s right. Jones blew it.
I know Jeremy Hill fumbled, but tragically for the Bengals, fumbles occur in football. Yes, the targeting call on linebacker Vontaz Burfict hurt, but at least it was a football play. Those kind of hits are bang-bang plays. And while it may look like Burfict was head hunting Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown, you can always make the argument that he was making a football play. But to get a 15-yard penalty after a play, in a crucial situation, is disastrous. Here is how the critical moments of the game played out:
Hill fumbles, giving the Steelers one more shot at victory.
Next, a penalty on Burfict puts the Steelers on the edge of field goal range. However, the final blow came next, when Jones’ inability to control his emotions made the game-winning field goal a virtual chip-shot.
Jones got a 15-yard unsportmanlike penalty as the Burfict penalty was being sorted out with 18 seconds left. Jones was involved in an altercation with a Steelers’ assistant coach, who was on the field to see about Brown, who was hurt after Burfict’s hit. The penalty moved the ball to the Bengals’ 17 yard-line.
Jones couldn’t keep his emotions intact for 18 seconds. Jones may be 32 years-old, but he acted as if he was a child.
Shortly after the penalty, cameras captured a picture of Jones crying on the sideline (linked below). It literally reminded me of a little kid who has been sent to his room, which I don’t take lightly about saying about a grown man.
That one play sums up Jones career. An enigmatic talent, who at the end of the day, was never disciplined, and could never be trusted. And that is why even with his skill set still at a high level, I can’t imagine Jones ever playing in the NFL again.
The NFL will give you all kinds of chances, if you can play. Jones himself is an example of that, considering his past problems. However, when you let those actions filter down to the field and cost games, your career is over.
Adam Jones has broken the trust of a the NFL for the last time. And, if his actions in the final moments of the Bengals-Steelers game wasn’t enough to end his career, his 12 second Instagram rant did:
