The Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers are heated AFC North division rivals and Sunday afternoon’s game turned it up a notch with gutting injuries, some apparent cheap shots, and an absolutely wild ending. It was a crazy game, and a recently-surfaced photo of Ja’Marr Chase and Minkah Fitzpatrick even added a little fuel to the rivalry.
In a photo taken by Cincinnati Bengals team photographer Emilee Chinn and shared by Pro Football Focus on Twitter, Chase can be seen flicking off the Steelers defensive back, waving two middle fingers at him as Fitzpatrick looks at the Bengals receiver over his shoulder.
Naturally, the photo went completely viral and caused quite a stir in the NFL world with plenty of people offering their reactions. Our own Michael Grant even dubbed it a “sports photo of the year candidate.”
Sports photo of the year candidate. https://t.co/eGox0rjd2g
— Michael Grant (@MichaelGrant_CJ) September 14, 2022
Every Dolphins fan just became a Ja’Marr Chase fan. https://t.co/LXMIdoAfJ3
— JD Young (@MyFryHole) September 14, 2022
That LSU/Alabama hate runs deep https://t.co/Qeb1gehdyu
— Antwan V. Staley (@antwanstaley) September 14, 2022
Ultimately, Fitzpatrick got the final laugh as the Steelers won the game 23-20 thanks to an overtime field goal. However, Chase had a strong individual performance for the Bengals, catching 10 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown.
But regardless of the outcome, the photo is absolutely incredible and it will likely serve as an iconic image of this intense rivalry for many years to come.