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It sure looked like the Pittsburgh Steelers got robbed on a call that could have changed the momentum at Lambeau Field.
Everyone always thinks they got screwed by NFL officials. There will always be more zebra stripes in pajama pants than actual officials on the field of a game, but few things get more scrutinized from a Lay-Z Boy than perceived bad calls.
It’s not often that the Venn diagram of actual bad calls and ones assumed to be meets in the middle but there are instances. We may have seen one of those at Lambeau Field on Sunday when the Steelers were seemingly robbed of a blocked field goal that would have changed the game on a dime.
Just before halftime, Joe Haden blocked a Mason Crosby field goal that was returned for a touchdown by Minkah Fitzpatrick. The play was overturned by a penalty, though, as officials ruled that Haden had jumped early.
It was incredibly close, and appears to be a case where the Steelers so perfectly timed the snap that officials couldn’t believe that it was anything other than a penalty.
NFL Rules Expert implies Steelers got robbed on blocked field goal penalty
CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore stopped about as close as the Steelers age to being ruled offsides from saying the call was a screw job.
“I’ll tell you this, it always feels like they’re offsides if they get that snap and timing perfectly. It’s difficult to show or to see unless you’re right down the line, but if you watch Bradley start moving that ball as a center it’s like everyone starts moving right at the same time. It gives you the feeling that they’re over but this one is a play of inches,” Steratore said on the CBS broadcast.
Breaking it down in slow motion shows that the Steelers weren’t offsides and were indeed robbed on the touchdown blown dead.
Had the touchdown stood, the Steelers likely walk into the locker room with a 17-14 lead and all of the momentum. Instead, Pittsburgh watched Crosby make the re-kick and trailed 17-10 at the half.
