Rivers' rookie season comes to an abrupt end

Bengals rookie linebacker Keith Rivers may have possibly played his final game of the 2008 season. Being on the receiving end of a block by Steelers' receiver Hines Ward, the diagnosis is a season ending broken jaw for the former USC All-American. The play drew no flag, but did draw discussions about possible penalties issued by the NFL against the Pittsburgh receiver that is already running a tab for league fines. Ward has a reputation across the league as a dirty player, and we'll await the decision from the league office on this latest hit.

Bengals linebacker Brandon Johnson also addressed the issue of the double standards of the NFL. Johnson's belief is that a flag would have been thrown quickly if Rivers were an NFL quarterback, but the league fails to offer the same protection on the defensive side. Rivers was blind sided while in pursuit of Pittsburgh tight end Matt Spaeth. The collision was violent, drawing a reaction from CBS commentators and the crowd. Rivers laid on the turf for several minutes, before bouncing to his feet and exiting to the locker room.

On another note, Seattle's Lofa Tatupu left the Sunday night game against the Tampa Bay Bucaneers with an apparent concussion.