The Rams were trailing the Steelers 24-17 in the fourth quarter when they appeared to get a critical fourth-down stop.
Pittsburgh attempted a Kenny Pickett quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 with just 2:17 left in regulation, and it looked like Los Angeles stonewalled the second-year quarterback. That would give the Rams good field position and a chance to mount a potential game-tying — or game-winning — drive.
However, the officials gave Pickett a generous spot on the play. After a very close measurement, they ruled that Pickett had made the line to gain by mere inches.
After a measurement, Kenny Pickett gets the clutch first down 👀
— NFL (@NFL) October 22, 2023
📺: #PITvsLAR on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/iTs8HMaXlh pic.twitter.com/iY7fIfYQC2
The ruling was an important one, as the Steelers were able to run out the clock after getting the first down. They needed to take a knee just three times to run out the clock and improve to 4-2.
It was also a controversial ruling, and it elicited a reaction from Rams coach Sean McVay. He was seen jawing with the officials after the call and his facial expression seemed to indicate that he was shocked the Steelers were given a first down on the play.
Sean McVay's face after the Steelers got a crucial first down. pic.twitter.com/pKJ4XKkjT1
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 22, 2023
However, McVay didn't challenge the play for one very simple reason: he couldn't. Here's why.
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Why the Rams couldn't challenge Kenny Pickett's QB sneak
The Rams couldn't challenge the spot of the ball Kenny Pickett's quarterback sneak because they were out of timeouts. Teams that do not have timeouts are not allowed to use coach challenges, as stated in the NFL's official rulebook:
Each challenge requires an available team timeout. A team that is out of timeouts, or has used all its available challenges, may not attempt to initiate a challenge.
For those wondering what would have happened if the Rams attempted to challenge a play, they would have been charged with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That would have been good for a 15-yard penalty that also would have ended the game.
And for those curious about whether a booth review could have overturned the play, booth reviews only occur in the final two minutes of each half and throughout the overtime periods in NFL contests. So, barring an expedited review — in which the replay official quickly overturns a clearly incorrect call — the Rams had no way to flip the call on Pickett's sneak.
Perhaps this ruling brings up a case for the NFL making all fourth-down conversions booth reviewable. After all, the spot did appear to be generous, so, at a minimum, the play was worth another look.
But McVay isn't calling for that. During his postgame news conference, he expressed that it didn't matter what he thought of the ruling and that the Rams shouldn't have let the game come down to that key play.
"I’m not going to sit here and make any excuses about stuff that didn’t go down," he told reporters. "Those plays shouldn’t have come down to that if we execute like we were capable of. You guys saw the same stuff that I did, but it doesn’t do any good.
"That’s what was called and that’s what we have to be able to live with."
