Burfict suspended three games for hit

CINCINNATI — Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict was suspended for the first three games of next season as the NFL began handing down punishments Monday for an ugly wild-card playoff game.

The league also is reviewing the conduct of other players and coaches during Pittsburgh’s 18-16 victory at Paul Brown Stadium on Saturday night that turned on penalties against Burfict and Bengals cornerback Adam Jones in the final minute.

Burfict was penalized for lowering his shoulder and hitting defenseless receiver Antonio Brown in the head after an incompletion with 22 seconds left. Brown got a concussion from the play.

Burfict already had been fined four times for dangerous plays during the season. He received a $50,000 fine for an illegal hit on a Ravens player a week earlier. Burfict also was fined $69,454 for three penalties against the Steelers on Dec. 13.

While players and coaches from both teams were on the field as Brown was being examined, Jones went after Steelers coach Joey Porter and got a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. The two penalties moved the ball from the Cincinnati 47-yard line to the 17, and Chris Boswell made a 35-yard kick for the win.

In other pro football news:

• The Chicago Bears promoted quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains to replace Adam Gase as offensive coordinator. Gase was hired as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach on Saturday.