Steelers' late-game decision comes under fire heading into Saints game

Steelers’ late-game decision comes under fire heading into Saints game originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Now that the NFL’s Week 6 games are nearly wrapped up, it’s a good time to look back at the full slate of games and see what went right and wrong. Mike McCarthy and the Steelers got a big win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it didn’t come without drama.

In a piece published Monday, ESPN’s Brooke Pryor asks, “Why did the Steelers not bleed the clock after Jamel Dean’s interception?”

It’s a good question. That’s one of the talking points that keeps coming up after the game because it could have nudged things in another direction.

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a chance to win in regulation but let the chance slip away

In the piece, Pryor notes that Pittsburgh “drained the clock down to 3:15 in overtime after a 12-play drive ended with Germie Bernard’s game-winning touchdown, but they had an opportunity to win in regulation.”

This game didn’t have to go into overtime. Next time, the Steelers may not be so lucky to pull off an overtime win, either. After coming back to tie the game, the Steelers could have bled the clock and forced the Bucs to use their last timeouts after Dean’s interception, she adds.

“Rodgers threw two incompletions, and Jaylen Warren rushed for 2 yards before they settled for a field goal,” she continues. “All of that took just 17 seconds off the clock. The Bucs had 1:21 left, which was enough time to tie the game and send it to OT.”

So consider it a learning lesson. It’s something the Steelers can be aware of going forward, and maybe their next close matchup won’t have to go into overtime.

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