Steelers lose to New England Patriots after Overturned Touchdown

The Steelers started their Sunday game against the Patriots with a massive morale boost thanks to Ryan Shazier making an appearance, the linebacker who suffered an awful back injury 2 weeks ago. Thereafter, the Pittsburgh Steelers serious blow when Antonio Brown was sent off with a calf injury. However, the true ringer emotionally was seen during the final minute of the game due to an overturned touchdown catch that was controversial, and a subsequent interception that resulted in a plundering Steelers loss to the Patriots at Heinz Field, 27-24.

A reversal of luck occurred after Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jesse James with only 34 seconds remaining. This prevented Pittsburgh from claiming a first-round bye in the NFL playoffs, and managed to open the race for home advantage, with the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3), the New England Patriots (11-3), and the Jaguars (10-4) still in the race, and the Patriots managing to clinch the AFC East title with a win.

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Despite Antonio Brown being out due to a serious calf injury in the second quarter, the Pittsburgh Steelers managed to lead until the final minute in the fourth quarter. However, with only 2 minutes remaining, the New England Patriots pulled off a 77-yard drive in a mere 70 seconds, allowing them to score a touchdown with an 8-yard run by running back, Dion Lewis.

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a poor chance of winning the game as they started a drive from their own 21-yard line. However, they managed to come back to life with a wild catch-and-run by rookie wide receiver, JuJu Smith-Shuster, who claimed the ball on a crossing route, allowing him to break free of the coverage on the sideline. The play looked like something out of a video game as JuJu streaked across the field, shedding several defenders before he was finally brought down after an impressive 69-yard gain.

Ben Roethlisberger found Jesse James on the next play for the apparent touchdown catch. But after reviewing it, it was determined that Jesse James didn’t survive his contact with the ground, and this resulted in the call being overturned. Only two plays later, Duron Harmon managed to intercept a pass from Ben Roethlisberger that sealed the game.

The game referee Tony Corrente, when asked why Jesse James was ruled as not making the catch while still in control of the ball stated:

As he hit the ground, the ball began to roll and rotate and the ball hit the ground, that’s the end at that point.

Coach Mike Tomlin claimed to not have a good view of the play enough to have a firm feeling on the call but stated:

It’s really irrelevant how I feel about it, It’s not going to change the outcome of the game. I’m not going to cry over spilled milk.

Th Pittsburgh Steelers have two relatively easy games remaining on their schedule, playing against the Houston Texans next week, and closing the season against the winless Cleveland Browns at home, and it safe to safe that American football bettors who want to place wagers online will be out in force looking for  the Steelers to win.

The New England Patriots will play against the Buffalo Bills at home, as well as the New York Jets, while the Jacksonville Jaguars will have the most difficult schedule as they play against the San Francisco 49ers on the road, as well as the Tennessee Titans.