Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict suspended three games

The NFL has suspended Burfict for the first three games of the 2016 season due to repeated violations of safety-related playing rules, the NFL reports.

Burfict has oscillated between brilliant and bone-headed during his four-year career, and Saturday's wild-card defeat to the Steelers was no exception. Although his strip sack of Ben Roethlisberger (a play in which the quarterback was knocked out until the final drive due to a shoulder injury) and interception of backup Landry Jones spurred the Bengals' comeback bid, he also committed a crucial unnecessary roughness penalty on Antonio Brown with 22 seconds remaining, which compounded with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from Adam Jones to set up the Steelers' game-winning field goal. On a more serious note, Burfict has been flagged for 14 unnecessary roughness calls since he entered the professional ranks in 2012, seemingly necessitating Monday's action from the NFL. Pending an appeal, he'll begin the suspension in Week 1 of next season.