Bengals fans thank Blake Bortles with donations to charity

Cincinnati Bengals fans are donating to the Blake Bortles Foundation. The generosity comes on the heels of beating their AFC North rivals.

It’s official. The average Bengals fan has no sentiment for the Pittsburgh Steelers. To show how much disdain they have for their AFC North foes, fans have been donating funds to the Blake Bortles Foundation.

The Bengals were absent from the postseason festivities again, in 2017, But, diehard faithful always find a way to get involved in the AFC playoff picture. The Steelers lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 45-42, in the second round of the playoffs. The win effectively put an end to Pittsburgh’s quest for the mythical seventh ring. But, that didn’t stop Le’Veon Bell from voicing his, um, confidence about the matchup.

Call it what you want, the Jags and Bortles put a hurting on the Steelers. At one point in the first  half, Pittsburgh was trailing 28-7 and the game looked like a lopsided farce. To most Bengals fans, the score brought back memories of the Week 5 loss at the hands of the same Duval County cats. That week, Bengals faithful were treated to a 30-0 loss by the North rivals. 

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Because Bortles helped smack the Stillers in the mouth, Bengals fans have been picking up steam with donations to his charity. Per ESPN, the charity has seen close to $5,000 from over 100 Bengals backers.

Another adopted team?

When Andy Dalton helped the Buffalo Bills ease into the playoffs–with a late TD to knock off the Ravens–Bills fans began giving money to Dalton’s foundation.

Bortles acknowledged Bengals fans in a statement.

"“Fans are at the core of the football experience and it’s truly exciting and rewarding when they band together, regardless of the team they cheer for, to make a positive impact in the lives of others. I greatly appreciate the support displayed by Bengals fans and they should know their support will make a difference.”"

Bills fans have given more than $300,000 to the Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation. Most of that was done with $17 donations. That number represents the number of years since the Bills were in the playoffs. Cincy fans were behind the Bills until they succumbed to the Jags D in round one, 10-3.

Next: Got Hype?

Here’s the skinny on the Bortles foundation.

With sweeping changes being made in their coaching staff, there’s a chance the Bengals could be making a run for the 2018 playoffs. If Cincinnati can turn things around, fans won’t have to look for other teams to follow in the Big Dance. Until then, pay it forward.