Steelers Great Ben Roethlisberger Infuriated About Devastating Impact Of Non-Call Vs. Bills

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat all the odds to make it to the 2023 postseason and the AFC Wild Card game. The game was delayed by a day due to weather. Before even arriving in Buffalo, they had serious injuries and were even on their third-string quarterback, Mason Rudolph. Unfortunately, they lost to the Buffalo Bills in upstate New York 31-17. The Steelers got behind early 21-0 and struggled to catch up, but managed to pull the game to within a touchdown by the fourth quarter with the score at 24-17. Unfortunately, the football gods, and perhaps the officials, were working against the Steelers. 

It is frustrating to watch the officials make bad calls that have an impact on the game. However, if you are being honest, you also know your team shouldn't have been in that place to begin with. It is fair to say that the Steelers should have never allowed themselves to get so far behind so early. They had two turnovers that were absolute killers and without them, the game would have likely been tied.   

However, some penalties were more than questionable which altered the course of the game. This shouldn't have been the case according to a former Steelers legend. 

Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Frustrated By Non-Call

As the Steelers were attempting to stage a comeback during the fourth quarter, they needed to convert a fourth down to continue the drive. Rudolph went to throw to wide receiver George Pickens. Pickens was unable to reel the ball in because he was wearing Buffalo's cornerback Dane Jackson like a cheap suit. Jackson was holding Pickens as he was trying to run his route and break free. 

Pickens immediately jumped up and signaled to the refs that there should have been a flag. The refs did not call it, and that wasn't surprising since it felt like the Steelers were getting the short end of the flag the entire game. 

Former Steelers two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, expressed his aggravation with the officiating. Roethlisberger, who now co-hosts a podcast called Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger with his friend Spencer Te'o, often livestreams during games. He and Te'o did a livestream during the Wild Card game between the Bills and the Steelers. 

Roethlisberger frequently talks about how he understands protecting players and ensuring their safety. He was in the league during the time that the "Brady rule" went into effect to help protect quarterbacks. However, unlike some other offensive players, Roethlisberger feels that defenders are being "hamstrung" by the officials. During his show, he attempts to make his comments on penalties as impartial as possible. It isn't all about being a fan of the Steelers or things going their way.   

When he saw Jackson hanging on Pickens and then saw that Pickens was unable to complete the catch because of it, he immediately commented on it. He initially declared that there was a flag incoming, and then he was shocked when the officials did not call it. 

"He grabbed him! It's a flag. It happens every play, but it's a flag! You can't when the ball goes there and it affects the game. That's 100% a flag, 100%," exclaimed Roethlisberger.