5 plays that contributed to Steelers needing help in Week 17 to make playoffs

Defining moments of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season heading into the regular-season finale often can’t be confined to one specific moment or play.

The precise instance of Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending elbow injury can be traced to sometime in the first half against Seattle when he began wincing after throws. Or perhaps he injured it in the season opener at New England as a few teammates surmised. No specific instance has been identified.

Mason Rudolph getting hit on the head by his helmet was the lasting memory of the 21-7 loss in Cleveland, but the outcome had been decided in the prior 59 minutes and not when Myles Garrett lost his temper in the waning seconds.

Still, it is fair to say the Steelers’ season has been stamped by five plays — one for each loss decided by one score — that has contributed to an 8-7 record heading into Sunday’s game at Baltimore.

If any of these five plays turns out differently, perhaps the Steelers already have clinched a playoff berth — or at least have control of their seeding — instead of needing help in Week 17 to return to the postseason.

Disclaimer: The Steelers also benefited greatly from some outcomes that went their way in close victories. Adam Vinatieri’s missed field goal, Minkah Fitzpatrick’s 43-yard fumble return against the Rams and Diontae Johnson’s 85-yard punt return against the Cardinals come to mind.

For the purposes of this discussion, the focus is on five plays that got away from the Steelers:

1. Seattle: The non-penalty

The Seahawks scored on three consecutive drives in the second half, and it was a controversial play that set up Seattle’s final touchdown that is most remembered from the 28-26 loss.

Seattle held a 21-19 lead with 8 minutes, 54 seconds left and faced a second-and-20 at its 27. Russell Wilson threw incomplete on a deep pass to Tyler Lockett, and it looked like the Steelers might get the ball back with one more stop.

Instead, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll threw the challenge flag, believing safety Terrell Edmunds had interfered with Lockett even though no penalty had been called on the field.

After a lengthy review, the call was reversed by Al Riveron in New York, and the Seahawks were given a first down at the Steelers 35. Three plays later, Wilson threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf for a 28-19 lead.

Perhaps swayed by the outrage over the decision, Riveron stopped overturning pass-interference calls and non-calls, abiding by the ruling on the field. Beginning in the next week, 20 of the next 21 challenges involving pass interference were denied.

2. San Francisco: The fumble, Part 1

A 24-20 loss to the 49ers dropped the Steelers to 0-3 for the first time since 2013 — and like the previous game against Seattle — the Steelers couldn’t protect a second-half lead.

James Conner’s fumble in the fourth quarter led to the 49ers scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 1:15 left.

The Steelers were holding a 20-17 lead, and T.J. Watt’s fumble recovery at their 14 with 6:49 left represented the defense’s fifth takeaway. But three plays later, the 49ers got the ball back on the Steelers 24 when Conner lost a fumble.

The fumble was the fourth for Conner dating to the 2018 opener, and it was the third that contributed to a loss or tie.

Buoyed by a holding call against Mark Barron on a third-down incompletion, the 49ers marched for the touchdown that left the Steelers with only 75 seconds to mount a futile comeback.

3. Baltimore: The fumble, Part 2

The way the Ravens have steamrolled through the AFC with 11 consecutive wins, it is hard to imagine they had a 2-2 record when they visited Heinz Field on Oct. 6.

If not for JuJu Smith-Schuster’s fumble in overtime, the Ravens might have departed the stadium with a 2-3 record and tied with the Steelers for the division lead.

The Steelers rallied from 10-0 and 17-7 deficits and held a 23-20 advantage with 2:37 remaining. The Ravens drove for a field goal with 10 seconds left, forcing overtime.

Coach Mike Tomlin elected to have his team kick off to start OT, and his defense made a stop, putting the ball in backup quarterback Devlin Hodges hands at the Steelers 32.

On second down, Hodges threw a completion to Smith-Schuster at the Steelers 45. As Smith-Schuster continued up field, cornerback Marlon Humphrey punched the ball out and recovered the loose ball at the Steelers 34.

Justin Tucker booted another field goal, and the Steelers’ record dropped to 1-4.

4. Buffalo: The untimely interception

The Steelers were riding high at 8-5, with Hodges becoming the first undrafted nonreplacement quarterback to win his first three starts in the Super Bowl era.

The bloom started to come off in a 17-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Hodges threw a career-high four interceptions, including three in the second half.

The first one after halftime was, perhaps, the most costly. The Steelers held a 10-7 lead and were driving inside Buffalo territory late in the third quarter when Hodges threw deep for Diontae Johnson along the right sideline.

With the ball at the Buffalo 43 and 1:34 remaining in the quarter, the prudent decision would have been for the Steelers to continue a conservative approach and try to pad the lead with a field goal. Instead, Hodges took a gamble that backfired.

Tre’Davious White stepped in front of the pass for Johnson and returned the interception 49 yards to the Steelers 18. The Bills kicked the tying field goal with 12:27 remaining and went ahead for good on their next drive.

5. New York Jets: The pass breakup

Benched in the first half against the New York Jets after throwing two interceptions on three series, Hodges nearly became the hero when he was forced back into the game after Rudolph’s left shoulder injury late in the third quarter.

With the Steelers trailing by six points in the final minute, Hodges threw a third-down pass 44 yards toward James Washington at the goal line. Washington leaped and had both hands on the ball as he fell backward. Then, safety Marcus Maye used his left hand to dislodge the ball.

Smith-Schuster couldn’t get his hands on a fourth-down pass, solidifying the Steelers’ 16-10 loss that pushed them to the periphery of the playoff race.