The Pittsburgh Steelers fell in their annual trap game on Thursday night as they lost to the Cleveland Browns by a score of 24-19. Overall the game was extremely sloppy, as the snow began to fall hard during the second half which caused the broadcast to look like the teams were playing in a blizzard. Pittsburgh seemed doomed from the start as Chris Boswell missed a field goal on the opening drive, and the offense turned the ball over on downs more than once.
Matt Starkey / Cleveland Browns
Browns' Jameis Winston during a loss to the New Orleans Saints in 2024.
A big reason the Browns were able to secure the victory were the late-game heroics of Jameis Winston. The quarterback didn't have a spectacular game, but he willed his team to victory. He turned the ball over twice in the fourth quarter of the contest which set the Steelers up in a great spot to win the game, but the Browns were able to climb back. Cleveland scored a touchdown on their final drive, which included some questionable officiating that may have helped the Browns.
The biggest piece of questionable officiating came on a third and two for the Browns at Pittsburgh's 25-yard line. The Browns were down by 1 point, so a field goal could have given them the lead. A third down stop was critical, and Patrick Queen was a free rusher running at Winston, who fired the ball into the middle of nowhere.
I’ve watched this 20 times and I still have no clue how this wasn’t intentional grounding. pic.twitter.com/NjIDtnkQCo
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) November 22, 2024
There was a flag thrown on Cleveland on the play, it just wasn't intentional grounding. Ethan Pocic, an offensive lineman for Cleveland, made an attempt to catch the ball and it hit him in the hands. This meant the play was now ruled an illegal touching since an offensive lineman can't be the first player to touch a forward pass.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin stands on the sideline as snow pours down during a 2024 Thursday Night Football contest against the Browns in Cleveland, OH.
There is a stark difference between the two penalties, as an intentional grounding call would have also resulted in a loss of a down and a 10-yard loss for the Browns. This would have made it fourth and 12 from the Steelers' 35-yard line. The Browns could have taken the risk of going for it, or attempted a 52-yard field goal in atrocious weather conditions. Instead, the Browns were given a third and seven after Head Coach Mike Tomlin accepted the penalty.
So just throw it to a lineman to avoid intentional grounding?
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) November 22, 2024
This is a clear loophole for a quarterback who is under a ton of pressure and has to get rid of the football. If a player doesn't want to lose more yardage or a down, they can just fire a pass to one of the five offensive linemen standing right there and only lose five yards and replay the down.
There is also a rule associated with intentional grounding that states that a quarterback cannot be called for grounding if a defender hits him and alters the trajectory of his pass, which would make it look like the pass isn't targeting a receiver. This could have been a reason for not calling grounding, but Winston was backpedaling trying to avoid Queen, which means grounding should have been the call.
Benjamin B. Braun / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin looks down at the snowy field as his team takes on the Cleveland Browns during a Thursday Night Football matchup.
Steelers See Former NFL Players Call For The NFL To Change The Rules
The Browns were presented with a third and seven, easily got the yards they needed and then eventually scored with under a minute remaining. The illegal touching call drastically changed the game, and former NFL players were calling for the NFL to change the rule after the game.
Note to self, if you are a quarterback, throw it at your lineman and make sure they touch it. You’ll never get intentional grounding.@NFLOfficiating you need to change that.
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) November 22, 2024
Even if the Browns were given a grounding penalty and they were forced to kick a 52-yard field goal on fourth and 12, maybe they would have made it. Cleveland played well enough to win the game, while Pittsburgh didn't. However, the officiating was beyond questionable on the final drive for the Browns.
What did you think of the call made by the officials? Let us know in the comments below!
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