Bengals Fans Donate to Blake Bortles Foundation After Jaguars Eliminate Steelers

Cincinnati Bengals fans directed their dislike of the Pittsburgh Steelers to a good cause.

According to First Coast News, over 100 Bengals supporters have donated approximately $5,000 to the Blake Bortles Foundation. Last Sunday, his Jacksonville Jaguars eliminated the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 45-42 divisional-round win.

The fanbase is passing the charitable baton received from the Buffalo Bills, who contributed to Andy Dalton's charity after the Bengals cleared an AFC wild-card spot by knocking out the Baltimore Ravens. In a battle of teams who had endured lengthy postseason droughts, Jacksonville beat Buffalo 10-3 in the Wild Card Round.

Leonard Fournette probably merits more appreciation than Bortles after he gashed Pittsburgh's defense for 109 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Yet the regularly criticized quarterback rebounded from an ugly first-round performance to register a solid 214 passing yards, 35 rushing yards and one touchdown pass with no turnovers.

His steady performance accomplished a feat that has long eluded the Bengals, who have not won a playoff game since upending the Houston Oilers in 1991. They appeared poised to snap that streak three years ago before blowing a 15-0 lead to Pittsburgh with a late meltdown fueled by penalties.

That collapse ignited a heated feud, which intensified this year when Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster and Bengals linebacker George Iloka were each suspended one game for unnecessary hits during a violent Week 13 matchup.