There are few situations less comfortable than being a playoff contender at the end of the NFL regular season and needing help to actually make the postseason. The Pittsburgh Steelers were in that position in 2023 and got that help with the Jacksonville Jaguars losing their final game of the season. Just two seasons prior, the Steelers needed help as well.
The problem was that the two teams in that 2021 game were both fighting for a playoff berth as well. And a tie would have sent both the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers to the playoffs with the Steelers starting their offseason early. What makes it even crazier was that the two teams went to overtime, traded field goals, and had only 4:30 left on the clock before the tie actually occurred.
Thankfully for the Steelers, the Raiders weren’t settling for the tie. Raiders DE Maxx Crosby was on the Tuesday episode of the Games With Names Podcast, and the “Almost Tie Game” was the major talking point. Crosby talked about some local Steelers fans after the game ended in a Raiders win.
“I had f****** people in my neighborhood, Steelers fans, put up big signs in the neighborhood as you leave the game,” Crosby said. “‘Thank you! We love you guys!’ Blah, blah, blah, Go Steelers!”
Those Steelers fans — and Steelers faithful worldwide — knew what the stakes were going into that Sunday night matchup. Regardless of who won the game, the Steelers were in. However, as soon as the clock hit 0:00 at the end of regulation with the game tied, there was a very real problem. If overtime ended in a tie, the Steelers’ season was over. When there was less than five minutes remaining in overtime with the score tied, the fear had to be palpable.
Thankfully for the Steelers, the Raiders weren’t considering going for the tie at all.
“People were talking about that all week, and it almost f****** happened,” Crosby said. “That’s the craziest part. And then all of a sudden, we’re sitting there, okay, what the f***? This actually might happen right now. And that would have been worse… F*** that, I would rather lose than both of us get in. F*** that, send them home. That’s when I heard that we were potentially, I’m like what? F*** that, you die on your sword. You go all in, you’re either winning or you’re losing this s***. We’re not both going.”
And that’s exactly what happened. With only two seconds left in overtime, K Daniel Carlson stepped up for a 47-yard field goal attempt. It goes through the uprights, the Raiders and the Steelers are in. He misses, and the Raiders and the Chargers are in. As Cris Collinsworth said on the broadcast, “Biggest kick of the year for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Understandably, Steelers fans and the team were stoked. Christian musician TobyMac was on a call with QB Ben Roethlisberger and another Christian artist, Bart Millard, and he captured Roethlisberger’s reaction to the game-winning field goal.
Needless to say, the Steelers were incredibly thankful for the efforts of the Raiders in a situation where a tie would have still sent the Raiders through to the postseason. Former Raiders general manager Mike Mayock even said that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin sent the Raiders some chocolate as a way of saying thanks.
It was an incredible moment for the Steelers and their fans regardless of the outcome in the playoffs. How incredibly tense those final minutes of overtime had to be for everyone watching.
