Just when it looked like the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to at least tie the game late in the fourth quarter after shaking off a difficult start in Indianapolis and getting a stop defensively, an issue that has popped up time and time again this season picked a bad spot to make its presence known for the Steelers’ offense.
That would be snapping the football. Rookie center Zach Frazier had an errant snap on a first down in shotgun to quarterback Justin Fields, who wasn’t looking at the time of the snap, leading to a fumble and a loss of 12 yards, ultimately sinking the Steelers’ comeback attempt.
The errant snap isn’t anything new for the Steelers as Frazier and Fields have had issues snapping the football dating back to the preseason. The rookie center, who spoke to reporters immediately after the game about the snap, said he was in the middle of calling out the protection when he got the tap to snap the football from fellow rookie Mason McCormick.
“You know, I got the tap and I snapped the ball. So, I was in the middle of making a call when I got the tap, just got the call out, and I just have to snap it,” Frazier said, according to video via the Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski. “I don’t know exactly what happened on it, but it’s unfortunate.”
It certainly is unfortunate because it looked like the Steelers, facing a 1st and 10 at their own 42-yard line, were going to get into at least field goal range for kicker Chris Boswell late and at least tie the game at 27-27.
Instead, the Frazier’s snap bounced off Fields’ facemask, leading to the quarterback racing to pick it up and then taking a 12-yard sack, putting the Steelers in a 2nd and 22 at their own 30.
Three plays later, after Najee Harris failed to get out of bounds on a third down and then the fourth-down throw was nearly picked off, the Steelers came up short and lost, 27-24.
To Frazier’s credit, the snap was right on the money, hitting Fields directly in the facemask, but the timing was off. Fields was very clearly looking to his right, seemingly trying to get one last snapshot of the defense pre-snap. Unfortunately, that came right after McCormick gave Frazier the tap, clearing him to snap the football.
The botched snap and the loss of 12 yards was just another example of the Steelers shooting themselves in the foot on the day, including a fumble inside the 5-yard line from wide receiver George Pickens in the first half, a Fields fumble on an ill-advised scramble trying to buy time, and then at least one dropped interception from cornerback Joey Porter Jr., not to mention penalties.
It’s unclear what exactly went wrong on the snap. We’ll need to hear from Fields. But one thing is clear: these issues can’t continue to happen.
