Penalty on field goal results in 4-point swing that hurts Steelers in loss
Not only were the Pittsburgh Steelers hurt by a costly pass-interference call against safety Terrell Edmunds in the fourth quarter of a 28-26 loss to Seattle on Sunday, they were on the wrong end of a four-point swing in the second courtesy of another penalty.
Nose tackle Dan McCullers, playing on the field-goal-block unit, was called for a personal foul with 8 minutes, 48 seconds left while Jason Myers was in the process of making a 46-yard field goal.
Instead of the Steelers holding a 7-3 lead, the defense had to go back on the field as the Seahawks were given a first down at the 14, the ball being moved half the distance to the goal line.
On the next play, Russell Wilson threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Will Dissly to tie the score 7-7.
The swing was pivotal in the Steelers’ two-point loss.
“Supposedly, he made contact with the head and neck area of the center,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of McCullers’ penalty. “That wasn’t his intention. That wasn’t our intention. We were trying to skinny the gap. We will take a look at the video.”
The Steelers were penalized five times for 78 yards. Sean Davis was called for an illegal block that negated a 34-yard touchdown return on Mark Barron’s fumble recovery.
“We didn’t play clean enough, particularly in some moments,” Tomlin said.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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