Steelers players recall 'whirlwind of events' that nearly kicked them out of the postseason race

Gathered with a few teammates, Ray-Ray McCloud settled in to watch the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers play Sunday night, knowing a win by either team would stamp the Pittsburgh Steelers’ trip to the postseason.

The only outcome that would ruin the Steelers’ chances was a tie, and that couldn’t possibly happen, right?

Sure, the Steelers were in involved in one with the Detroit Lions in November, but it was the only tie in the first 271 NFL games played in this expanded 17-game season.

And when the Raiders went up by 15 points in the fourth quarter, it looked like it would be time to pop the champagne and begin game-planning for the wild-card game at Kansas City.

“Once the Raiders were up for a while, we were going to be straight,” McCloud said Monday. “Then we were talking about what would be the chances of a tie?”

Not as astronomical as one would think, as it turned out.

The Chargers got a touchdown and 2-point conversion with 4 minutes, 28 seconds to play to cut the deficit to a more manageable seven points. They then improbably moved 83 yards in 19 plays — all within the final 2:06 — to tie the score 29-29 on the final play of regulation.

If the game remained tied at the end of the 10-minute overtime period, the Chargers and Raiders would be going to the playoffs. The Steelers would pack for the offseason.

McCloud’s phone rang.

“My little brother called and he was like, ‘it’s rigged,’” McCloud said. “’Bro, it’s rigged.’”

Conspiracy theories that the Raiders and Chargers would play conservatively — or repeatedly kneel on the ball to run out the clock — never unfolded. But what took place until the final seconds of overtime didn’t provide much satisfaction.

Daniel Carlson kicked a 40-yard field goal to end the Raiders’ first possession, putting the onus on the Chargers to answer with a score. For the Steelers, that meant preferably a touchdown, but Dustin Hopkins booted a 41-yard field goal to make it 32-32 with 4:30 left.

“A whirlwind turn of events,” cornerback Cameron Sutton said, “considering the circumstances.”

The Raiders got into Chargers territory inside the two-minute warning, then began running the ball and winding down the clock. A tie seemed a legitimate possibility.

Emotions were running high for the Steelers, who had done their part to reach the playoffs by getting a 16-13 overtime victory at Baltimore earlier in the day.

“It was almost as if we were playing,” McCloud said. “It felt like we were playing the game.”

The Raiders faced a third-and-4 at the Chargers 39 when Los Angeles coach Brandon Staley surprisingly called timeout with 38 seconds left. At that point, the Raiders faced a 57-yard field goal chance — if they kicked the ball at all.

The Raiders, though, decided to go for the win. Josh Jacobs broke off a 10-yard run, the Raiders called timeout with 0:02 left and Carlson sent a 47-yard field goal through the uprights for a 35-32 win.

Because he had paused the television feed while talking to his brother, McCloud was behind on the live action and didn’t see the finish in real time.

“He called back and was like, ‘You’re good, you’re good.’ I was like, ‘They made it?’” McCloud said. “So when I watched it, I already knew they made it. It was a relief. A fun game, definitely an exciting game.”

Coach Mike Tomlin didn’t want to discuss the possibility of his team being booted by a tie when he met with the media after the Steelers edged the Ravens.

“I’m not worried about it one iota,” he said. “We had a job to do in our stadium. We did it. So we’re prepared to deal with whatever the consequences are. The other things that are out of our control, we gave that up weeks ago.”

The Steelers needed wins in three of their final four games — plus the requisite help — to advance to the playoffs with a 9-7-1 record. And they will get a chance to avenge the only loss in that span, a 36-10 defeat at Kansas City on Dec. 26.

“We’re looking for a different outcome than the first time being out there,” Sutton said. “We’ve grown in a sense of maturity and growth as a team. We’re playing inspired football, playing together as a unit. That has carried us through the latter part of the season.”

It was a season that nearly ended if not for the field goal on the last play of the 272nd game of the year.

“It’s back to business,” McCloud said. “It was fun, and we’re energized. You get to the playoffs, but now you have to be on (top of your game). There’s a lot more to be done, that’s our attitude. There is no more victory Monday after this. We have to come in and go to work right away.”