The Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers are in the midst of a bar-fight, so the best thing for everyone is a bit of controversy to add a bit more spice to it. Steelers receiver George Pickens snagged a pass from Justin Fields, one of the best balls of the day so far from Fields to convert a long third-and-12…or did they? The referees initially claimed that the Falcons stopped Pickens short and they were looking at a fourth-and-short.
The Falcons just made a fourth-down stop that wasn't. They thought they were off the field (as did the Steelers) but then the officiating crew announced the previous play had actually been a first down and now it's second-and-11.
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) September 8, 2024
With that, the Steelers ran a short-yardage run to gain the yard necessary and cornerback Mike Hughes stuffs him for what Atlanta thought was a turnover on downs. That was until the chains started moving again and the chains, which read fourth-down, now read 2nd & 11. This controversial string of plays led to a second Chris Boswell 51-yard field goal to give the Steelers a 6-3 lead. We will see if those three points loom large as this physical game drones on.
The Steelers clearly thought they were running a fourth-down play, too. https://t.co/UhEPBQ7heB
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) September 8, 2024
