On a second and 10 from the Indianapolis 42-yard line, Colts quarterback Joe Flacco targeted rookie wide receiver Adonai Mitchell down the left sideline on a go route but misfired.
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was closing quickly and might have been able to dislodge the football with a big hit on Mitchell, but instead the ball was uncatchable and Fitzpatrick pulled off slightly.
Contact occurred, though, sending Mitchell into the sideline.
In that moment, it seemed like a harmless play, one that Fitzpatrick tried to avoid. It wasn’t malicious and it wasn’t the type of hit the NFL is specifically trying to take out of the game.
Yet, a flag flew in and Fitzpatrick was called for unnecessary roughness by official Land Clark’s crew, resulting in a 15-yard penalty and an Indianapolis first down.
Six plays later, Flacco hit tight end Drew Ogletree for a 15-yard touchdown that gave the Colts a 24-10 lead, which was ultimately enough for them to win the game.
For longtime referee and CBS analyst Gene Steratore, who appeared on the 102.5 WDVE Morning Show Tuesday, that penalty on Fitzpatrick impacted the outcome of the game and was the wrong call.
“It is that window of time where I think you do, as an official, have to digest that play, right? I mean, he is going as [CBS color analyst] Adam Archuleta said, 20 miles an hour. I think I upped it to a hundred miles an hour when I get on air. But [Fitzpatrick] is recognizing right in that split-second moment, ‘This is not a catch. He’s not catching this football. I gotta gear down so I make contact, but I’m not delivering a blow,’” Steratore said. “Unnecessary roughness is the penalty, right? It’s unnecessary roughness. Do I think that there was some roughness there? Yes. Was it unnecessary? No.
“So I think that’s what you try, I think, to digest again in this split second of time and make the proper call. And it’s tough to go back that far without much time left in the game and say this, this call changed this game. But that call impacted the result of that football game.”
Without a doubt that call impacted the outcome of the game.
If that flag is not thrown on Fitzpatrick, it’s 3rd and 10 near midfield in a 17-10 game and an opportunity for the Steelers’ defense to get off the field.
Granted, the Steelers had a tough time getting off the field on third down on Sunday, but in that moment they didn’t even get that chance because of the flag.
After the game, Fitzpatrick was irate, and rightfully so. He questioned the call, questioned what sport he is playing and what the sport as a whole has become. He was spot-on, too. It sounded similar to the Mike Mitchell rant from a few years ago.
Fitzpatrick stated that the official who threw the flag on him told him that Fitzpatrick hit the Colts receiver in the head, too, necessitating the flag.
That is exactly where Steratore’s comment of attempting to digest the play in the moment and think through before throwing the flag is crucial for officials, even if that is difficult to do in the moment.
But that flag on Fitzpatrick undoubtedly changed the game for the Steelers. Instead of a 3rd and 10 and a potential stop, it was 1st and 10 and in field-goal range for the Colts in a one-score game. They ultimately made it 24-10 and made the road to a comeback all the more difficult for the Steelers, one that they couldn’t traverse in the end.
