The final two minutes for the Pittsburgh Steelers was a disaster on multiple levels. QB Kenny Pickett got hurt. They lost 10 seconds to a runoff. K Chris Boswell made a 56-yard field goal that got wiped out by penalty, missing the ensuing 61-yard attempt at the end of the half.
For former Vice President of NFL Officiating Mike Pereira, he thinks the refs got it wrong. Taking to Twitter earlier Sunday, Pereira says officials aren’t instructed to call “offsides” on field goals. Only for short-yardage “tush push” type of plays.
Here’s what he tweeted.
Boswell’s 56-yarder was money that would’ve made it 9-6 Jaguars heading into the half. But the refs flagged OG Isaac Seumalo for being offsides, forcing the Steelers to re-kick. Boswell’s 61-yarder, testing his own limits especially on a rainy day in Pittsburgh, sailed wide right.
The refs made a handful of questionable calls at the end of the first half. Those included a non-call for roughing the passer on QB Kenny Pickett when it seemed to fall into the “body weight” clause of the rule when S Keanu Neal was flagged for a similar-looking play earlier in the game.
The argument against the flag would be that the Jaguars defender hit Pickett from the side, not directly in front. But given how much the league protects many quarterbacks, this one seemed questionable. Pickett was knocked out of the game with a rib injury and will not return. His status for Thursday’s game against the Tennessee Titans is uncertain.
Pittsburgh went into the half trailing 9-3. With RB Travis Etienne’s explosive touchdown and successful two-point conversion, the Jaguars lead 17-3 late in the third quarter.
