Vontaze Burfict Carted off with Head Injury After Dirty JuJu Smith-Schuster Hit

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict was carted off the field in the fourth quarter of Monday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster hit him with a blindside block.

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Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict carted off after taking cheap shot vs. Steelers pic.twitter.com/LqcJR5JLe2

— Bleacher Report NFL (@BR_NFL) December 5, 2017"

The Bengals confirmed Burfict had a head injury and wouldn't return.

While Burfict has been a controversial figure during his five years with the Bengals, there's no disputing his value to the team. He finished the 2016 season with 101 combined tackles and two interceptions.

Durability was a concern for Burfict in 2014 and 2015, when he missed 17 combined games. He also missed the first three games of the 2016 campaign after serving a suspension. Then, Burfict self-reported a concussion following Cincinnati's 24-20 defeat to the Steelers in Week 15 and missed the team's final two games.

Given the Bengals' slow start to the 2017 season, they can ill afford to lose one of their defensive leaders. Cincinnati illustrated Burfict's importance to the team by signing him to a three-year, $32.5 million extension in September.