It’s unusual to see an obvious flop in football.
It’s even more unusual to see it come from Vontaze Burfict, the Cincinnati Bengals linebacker who has a history of big, and sometimes questionable hits on opponents.
However, on Sunday, it was Burfict who was playing up a hit from an opponent, actually drawing a penalty on Baltimore Ravens receiver Steve Smith Sr.
After twice pushing Smith in the back, Burfict showed off some acting skills when Smith tried to retaliate. The refs only saw Smith’s retaliation and gave him a 15-yard penalty.
Steve Smith got flagged for pulling a Zidane on Vontaze Burfict pic.twitter.com/2laK1hjqMB
— Mike Tunison (@xmasape) November 27, 2016
It was bad timing for the Ravens. Joe Flacco was sacked on the same play, and the penalty moved the Ravens back 15 yards, and they ended up settling for the field goal. However, they won the game 19-14.