The Pittsburgh Steelers kept pace with their AFC North rivals on Sunday by pulling out a narrow win on the road against the Los Angeles Rams. That win, however, was not without controversy.
Leading by seven, the Steelers faced a fourth-and-one from the Los Angeles 39-yard line. Rather than try a long field goal or punt, Pittsburgh went for it. A first down would run the clock down to the two-minute warning and would effectively end the game, as the Rams did not have a time-out, which became an important detail.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett tried to pick the first down up with his legs on a quarterback sneak. It looked as though he was short of the line to gain, but the officials gave Pickett and the Steelers the first down. Normally, this would trigger a challenge, but therein lied the problem. Without a time-out, the Rams could not challenge.
While the clock ticked down to the two-minute warning after the play, it started before the warning. So, there was no automatic booth review. Had Pickett been ruled short, a booth review would have been automatic, even before the two-minute warning, as all changes of possession are automatically reviewed. But since the ruling on the field was first down, there was no change of possession and therefore, no automatic review.
With that, the Rams were effectively without a paddle, as the first down allowed the Steelers to go into victory formation, running the rest of the clock out.
Controversial finish to the Steelers-Rams game.
Pittsburgh goes for it on fourth-and-short. Kenny Pickett looks to be short on a QB sneak, but the officials give him the first down.
The Rams didn't have a time-out and could not challenge. So the spot stood, ending the game. pic.twitter.com/bkhKPjsIpe
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 22, 2023
Make no mistake, this spot wasn’t the only reason the Rams lost on Sunday. Los Angeles did itself no favors, missing out on seven points in the kicking game, which loomed large in a 24-17 loss. But that doesn’t do anything to make this call any better.
Officiating has long been a source of frustration for NFL fans. Considering that, and that the earlier game between the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts also ended in controversy, the NFL world was ready to criticize the officials after this spot.
Another one…….. like this is laughable at this point https://t.co/TYEd5A1Oyq
— Dan (@dannah__montana) October 22, 2023
https://twitter.com/ShanaVWhite/status/1716235431119814966
great day of NFL officiating especially after the Colts got screwed https://t.co/HPl2XSqMrf
— CHUCK(Y ) (@cdulaney85) October 22, 2023
For some reason we as a society have become conditioned to believe that it is somehow reasonable for the coaches to also officiate the games instead of the officials.
"Just get it right" is somehow a bridge too far. https://t.co/FdX74sx5v4
— Glenn Clark (@GlennClarkRadio) October 22, 2023
[Photo Credit: Fox]
