UPDATE:
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The Steelers stormed back and beat the Bengals, 24-20. The Bengals have now been eliminated from playoff contention.
Jeremy Hill scampered up the middle early against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday for a touchdown. But what he did next could have serious implications for the rest of Cincinnati's season.
The history of teams disrespected the hallowed Terrible Towel shows things are fine during the game, but what comes next is generally miserable.
The San Diego Chargers found out the hard way, suffering a 49-26 beatdown in the Super Bowl at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers after waving the towel and stomping on it.
In 2005, the Bengals followed the same trend of disrespecting the towel as T.J. Houshmandzadeh wiped his cleats. Quarterback Carson Palmer went on to tear his ACL on the first drive in the playoffs and the Steelers would go on to win the Super Bowl.
The Arizona Cardinals didn't do anything, but the mayor pretended to blow his nose, leading to a loss in the Super Bowl to the Steelers.
And then it was the 2008 Tennessee Titans, who celebrated on their way to an AFC-best record at 13-2. They'd go on to lose their playoff game and have remained among the worst teams in the NFL. Eight years later, and they're on the cusp of potentially returning to the playoffs.
We'll see if Hill's Bengals follow a similar fate.
