NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino has confirmed that the hit on Cincinnati Bengals punter Kevin Huber during Sunday's match with the Pittsburgh Steelers was illegal.

Huber was on the receiving end of a blindside hit by the Steelers' Terence Garvin in the first quarter, opening up a gap that helped Antonio Brown return the punt 67 yards for a touchdown.

The block left Huber with a broken jaw and cracked vertebrae, ruling him out for the rest of the season, and Blandino confirmed that a penalty should have been given by the officials.

"Huber, he's a punter. And the key is he's defenseless throughout the down. Even though he's pursuing the play, he still gets defenseless-player protection," Blandino told the NFL Network.

"You can't hit him in the head or neck, and you can't use the crown or forehead parts of the helmet to the body. You'll see the close-up where you can see the contact to the head or neck area.

"So this will certainly be a point of emphasis this week, especially with our referees who are responsible for the punter on plays like this. We want to flag hits like that."

The Steelers went on to win the match 30-20, leaving the Bengals just one win clear at the top of the AFC North.