Just when it looked like the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to tie their preseason opener against the Houston Texans at 7-7 midway through the second quarter, veteran quarterback Kyle Allen came up with a bad throw in a big spot, one that he was frustrated with a few hours later after the 20-12 loss to the Texans.
On 4th and goal from the 2-yard line with 8:29 left in the second quarter, the Steelers under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith drew it up perfectly, getting third-year wide receiver Calvin Austin III wide open in the back left corner of the end zone for what should have been a layup throw.
Instead, Allen thought the Texans were going to do one thing. Houston’s defense didn’t do what Allen anticipated, which caused him to rush just a bit. He uncorked a bad throw that Austin couldn’t come down with, leading to a turnover on downs.
While Austin stated he should have made the play, Allen took the blame for it after the loss.
“The way the DBs were playing, I wasn’t sure if they were going to stay on their guys or try and in-and-out it to pass the guys off, and then at the last second I thought he was going to go flat and passed them off to take them high,” Allen told reporters, according to video via Steelers.com. “I just got to give him a better ball. I tried to adjust late and threw it a little deep for him. I have to give him a better ball.”
It was schemed up perfectly. The two Houston defensive backs on that side of the formation with Austin and wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick had a miscommunication and failed to pass things off properly, leaving Austin wide open breaking for the back left pylon.
It should have been a layup throw for Allen, who is on his fifth NFL team and has plenty of experience at the professional level.
Here’s a clip of the play.
With Austin breaking that wide open and the Texans not doing what Allen was expecting, he was a bit rushed and tried to adjust late in his motion. That led to a poor throw that put Austin in a bad position running out of room in the back corner of the end zone.
Of course, Austin also needs to make that play if he’s going to take the next step as an NFL receiver, but his quarterback did him no favors.
Fortunately for Austin and Allen, they bounced back after that, hooking up twice for 49 yards. But that missed connection in the end zone ultimately cost the Steelers in the game. They want that one back.
