NFL Admits Officiating Mistake in Steelers-Jets Game
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off of a strong win Sunday Night against the New York Jets. It came with a week filled with controversy over the quarterback change with Russell Wilson returning from injury over Justin Fields. Initially, it looked like the change was a mistake. However, Wilson showed his veteran presence, calm demeanor, and flashes of his prime ability; leading the Steelers to 31 unanswered points.
Prior to the 31-point scoring streak, the Jets marched down to the Pittsburgh 3 yard line courtesy of a 57 yard catch-and-run by Breece Hall. Aaron Rodgers capped the 6 play, 72 yard drive with a touchdown pass to Tyler Conklin.
On the ensuing PAT, Minkah Fitzpatrick made the first of multiple special team splash plays. He got an excellent jump through the gap and blocked the PAT kick; seemingly keeping the game at 13-6. On a night of multiple, questionable calls, the officiating threw a flag on Fitzpatrick for Leveraging. By rule, a defensive player cannot use a teammate or blocker to “push” themselves over the line of scrimmage to block a kick. This includes using the arms or legs. The penalty led to the Jets attempting a two point conversion, succeeding, and creating a two possession advantage at 15-6.
Tomlin revealed on Tuesday during his weekly press conference he spoke to New York who admitted the mistake. This was also apparent on the broadcast as Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth brought the call into question. In replay, Fitzpatrick did not use his arms to push on anyone. Tomlin confirmed this and ultimately stated https://twitter.com/gerrydulac/status/1848758446554025996%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Egoogle%257Ctwcamp%255Eserp%257Ctwgr%255Etweet&ved=2ahUKEwj9hKXSuqKJAxXJLdAFHYtpBboQglR6BAgmEAU&usg=AOvVaw11TcM4G64E3g4KoFELnFin”>”that’s
life.” He pointed out this is a human game filled with mistakes on all facets.
In retrospect, it doesn’t matter as the Steelers scored much more than the 2 points the Jets converted on the retry. Wilson led the offense down the field for a touchdown before halftime after Beanie Bishop’s first of two interceptions. It remained a close game at 15-13, but one has to wonder what if that had been a factor at the end.
For the Steelers, it’s onto the next New York team as they host the Giants on Monday Night Football before a much needed bye week.