Steelers win negated by questionable call, interception
‘Steelers Nation’ was silenced on Sunday when they watched Ben Roethlisberger lead the Pittsburgh Steelers down the field in the final seconds of the game and throw a pass to tight end Jesse James that was ruled, by the officials, as an incomplete pass. Lest the trolling begin, credit is due to the New England Patriots for their seven-drive, 70-second drive that was capped off by a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion. The questionable call will be a hot topic of discussion this coming week after fans and players have pleaded with the league to make it clear what does and does not constitute a “catch”. The Steelers came out of the game with a loss, but played like true champions.
The play that could have won the game wouldn’t have been possible had the Steelers offensive line not done a great job helping Le’Veon Bell chew up yards in the run game and keeping Big Ben relatively clean despite the various rush packages Belichick and the Patriots defensive coaching staff threw at Pittsburgh. It was a fantastic catch by rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster that set up the throw to James.
James looked perfectly in place as Roethlisberger threw him the pass. He had it in both hands as he fell forward. His knee hit the ground just inside the one yard-line and he leaned forward over the plane of the goal with the ball. Yes, his knee was down but by rule he hadn’t been touched by a defender. And, as he fell forward, the ball touched the ground inside the end zone, then came loose between his fingers. Still untouched, James grabbed the ball. The officials reviewed the play as it was completed inside two minutes of regulation play. The determination was that James did not control the ball all the way through the play and ruled the pass incomplete.
The Steelers opted to go for the touchdown to win, or at least use up the plays they had, before sending Chris Boswell out for a game-tying field goal to send the game into overtime. Roethlisberger, under heavy pressure, tried to thread the ball into the end zone on a slant rather than a fade. As the ball was deflected, the Patriots were able to grab the ball for an interception and secure the win.
This is a game that is going to draw heavy criticism of the league and their inconsistencies in determining rules on the field. It is also going to be one that is likely to become hotly debated between NFL fans of all teams, not just Steelers and Patriots fans. Even many NFL analysts were undecided as to whether the correct call was made as social media erupted following the replay and official announcement on the field.
Questions about why a player can jump over a pylon with an extended arm, holding the ball, and have that ball hit the turf but is considered a touchdown will likely come up. Why was the loose ball between James’ hands not ruled a fumble and fumble recovery since he had the ball secured when his knee hit the turf?
Regardless of the questions, the Patriots won the game. Controversial? Perhaps. The Steelers had issues on New England’s final drive to go up by three points stopping the Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski machine. Sean Davis nearly intercepted a Brady pass that could have sealed the win as well.
This was a game that the Steelers desperately wanted to win. They didn’t and will have to move past all of the negativity that is bound to follow. They remain AFC North Champions. No one can take that from them.
Notes: Antonio Brown (calf), James Conner (knee) were both injured during the game and unable to return. Cam Heyward logged his tenth sack of the season and Stephon Tuitt logged two sacks in this game. Martavis Bryant caught a touchdown with one hand as his other hand was held by a Patriots defender.
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