It’s never pleasing to write about a Pittsburgh Steelers season that doesn’t end in a Super Bowl victory and this season is no different. The Steelers season ended on a turnover on downs in overtime by the Kansas City Chiefs. It was one of the more gut wrenching Sundays I’ve experienced in a long time.
I figured that the Steelers wouldn’t make the playoffs given they had to not only win their game but needed three other games to go their way. What I didn’t expect however was how close they were to completing the near miracle. I stopped closely watching the Steelers-Browns game after the first quarter. Although the offense wasn’t performing as well as I would’ve liked, the Browns were so inept on offense, I felt the Steelers were going to win that game on talent alone.
I watched the Jets-Miami game closely throughout the early afternoon. That was the game I expected to spell the Steelers doom since Miami was playing at home with the playoffs on the line. However, Geno Smith played great football and never allowed Miami to capitalize off of any mistakes. Jets 20 Miami 7.
In conjunction with watching the Jets-Miami game, I was watching the Bengals-Ravens game. That game I was fairly confident that Cincinnati would take care of business. However, Andy Dalton was awful early throwing two interceptions in the first half. Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense could not take advantage of the opportunities given to them by the Bengals. They could not find the end zone until the second half of the game but the Bengals proved to be too strong at home forcing three Joe Flacco interceptions one of which was returned for the touchdown. Bengals 34 Ravens 17.
As the first two games went the Steelers way, happiness quickly turned to sadness as I reviewed the inactive list for Kansas City Chiefs. The majority of the starters on offense and defense sat including Alex Smith and Jamal Charles. I immediately made peace with the Steelers missing the playoffs before the game even began. The Chargers had everything to play for and the Chiefs had absolutely nothing to play for Sunday afternoon. The Chargers were also at home facing a 5’10” Chase Daniels at Quarterback. San Diego under those circumstances should’ve won by three touchdowns.
However to my surprise, not only did the Chiefs come to play they were dominating the Chargers offensively. The Chiefs are incredibly deep at RB between Knile Davis and Dexter McCluster alone not to mention Jamal Charles. Chase Daniels simply moved the chains and made plays that didn’t cost his team. The Chiefs played so well, the backups had the win or go home Chargers down 10 going into the 4th quarter. Then, the madness happens.
The Chargers scored 10 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to tie the game up with 5:00 lef . At this point, my heart sank. I felt the Steelers playoff hopes slipping away with every Chargers possession. The Chiefs offense throughout the majority of the 4th quarter actually began to play like backups. I was certain the clock struck midnight.
However, the Chiefs had one more good drive in them. The Chiefs methodically drove down the field, drained the clock down to eight seconds left, and lined up for a Ryan Succop 41-yard field goal. I felt victory after making peace with defeat earlier. Please just make this field goal and I can exhale, but of course the kick pushed wide right.
Overtime football mixed with momentum taking a full swing towards San Diego’s side made me again think the Steelers were doomed. Overtime included a near fumble return for a touchdown for the Chiefs and a field goal by the Chargers. Ultimately, Chase Daniels and the rest of the offense couldn’t pull one more rabbit out of their hat to extend their drive and the San Diego Chargers win a controversial game at home.
The Chargers win meant the Steelers lose out at the chance of the 6th seed and are eliminated from playoff contention for the second straight year. Chiefs 24 Chargers 27
The feeling of being eliminated has a much bitter taste than last year because of how the Steelers were eliminated. I am not one to whine about officiating or lament missed opportunities but Steeler nation has every right to feel completely robbed during that game. Let’s break down the blatant missed calls.
1) The end of regulation field goal by Ryan Succop ultimately should not have counted. The Chargers special teams illegally lined up too many players on one side. That isn’t subjective. This is a fact in the rule book and the refs blew it. Ryan Succop should’ve had another shot at the San Diego 18-yard line instead of the 23-yard line.
2) The Charger’s coaching staff made the bold call of calling a fake punt on 4th down on their own territory. I applaud them for playing to win and “not to lose”. However Eric Weddle fumbled, Kansas City gained possession and ran it in for a touchdown. Hold on though, the refs declared that Weddle was down? Are you serious? Weddle was leaning on top of other players so he shouldn’t have been declared down by contact. His helmet came off 1-2 yards before he fumbled. However, Not only was there no whistle blown but the refs counted Eric Weddle’s forward progress on his 4th down run that ended in a fumble. How can the refs count his forward progress after his helmet came off but not include the fumble? The game should have again been over. The Chargers should’ve lost 30-24.
3) On the final drive by Kanas City, with 2nd and 8 at the San Diego 41-yard line, Daniels throws a pass that fell short of Jenkins but the flag was thrown for illegal contact. This penalty results in a five yard penalty and an automatic first down. When I saw the replay, the play showed there was clear pass interference. The defender didn’t just make illegal contact but grabbed and held the receiver which impeded the receiver’s route. That’s pass interference which would have resulted in a first down at the San Diego 15-yard line not the San Diego 36-yard line.
I know the Steelers made their bed with a 0-4 start. I understand a good playoff caliber team doesn’t leave the fate of their season in the hands of another team. However, the Steelers made lemonade of a season when injuries and poor offensive play early dealt them lemons. They fought and clawed their way back to almost being the second team in 20+ years to earn a playoff berth with a 0-4 start. The odds weren’t in their favor and they were one of the last teams in the playoff hunt until the very end.
Unfortunately, when it was all said and done, it wasn’t good enough. The long off season starts now. The 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers are currently under construction with an opportunity to build upon their 6-2 finish by getting younger, deeper, and more talented but ultimately, it is up to Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, the coaching staff, and the player’s responsibility to make sure that “8-8 + hope for the refs and someone else’s JV roster takes care of business” never happens again.
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Main Photo Credit: AP Photo/Denis Poroy
