Thursday night’s game between the Steelers and Ravens was full of physical altercations, controversial play-calling and odd officiating calls. Whenever these two teams meet, there is sure to be plenty of fireworks; the last five meetings between these two have been decided by three points or less. Last night’s game had as big of stakes as any either team has played all season long, and unfortunately for both the Steelers and Yinzer Nation, the black and gold came out on the wrong side of a closely contested, 22-20 score.
Many critics have already been giving blame to the defense that failed to get a turnover and also failed time and again to get a stop on third down. Emmanuel Sanders, who had no less than four crucial dropped passes, including a late touchdown and the potential tying two-point conversion, has caught his share of heat from fans and the media alike. The lackluster and passive showing from the offense in the first half has also been pointed to. Let’s not forget about Shaun Suisham’s illegal movement before ball was snapped on a 50-yard field goal attempt in the first half.
However you want to distribute the blame for last night’s loss should be irrelevant, however, because the bigger issue from last night’s outcome is what happened on 2nd and goal on the Steelers’ final drive of the game. Rookie running back Le’Veon Bell ran the ball for what appeared to be a touchdown, and was knocked unconscious by a vicious hit from a Ravens defender. Not only was no flag thrown by a single official on the clear-cut helmet-to-helmet collision, the play was reviewed and because of a recently implemented rule, the Steelers faced third and goal with no running back and one less play to work with.
The rule states that when a player’s helmet comes off during a play, the play is ruled dead wherever the ball is. Replay showed that Bell was knocked unconscious as he crossed the goal line, and while he continued to hold on to the football through the end of the play, his helmet appeared to come off around the one and a half yard line, which was where the ball was then spotted. A player sacrificed his body and his head for a touchdown, was somehow still able to hold on to the football while knocked out, and because of this rule, he had a touchdown taken away.
This play disgraced the purpose of the rule, which was to promote player safety. Bell was already knocked unconscious when he crossed the line, meaning that whether or not the play had stopped had no effect on his safety. Instead, it only made his injury go in vain. The play had a lasting effect on the Steelers’ offense too, as they had to use their two-point play on fourth down, and also had one of their most dangerous weapons sidelined. I understand the rule and why it is there, but in this case, I don’t think it was fair to take away a touchdown earned the hard way.
