NFL Week 15: The Cowboys are in prime time again

Was not PI

 

Technically no, as it was not called, but it should have been. Coates was closer to that ball than the receiver was on the earlier pass interference call.

 

Bengals grab Brown's facemask on that incomplete pass into the end zone with no call. Just a terrible job of officiating by this crew.

Things got uglier on that drive, too, with both teams taking dumb unnecessary roughness penalties. The Steelers continue to play an incredibly sloppy game and trail, 20-12.

None of it matters if Pittsburgh can't find a way to overcome a badly depleted defensive line and get some stops. So far the Bengals have scored on every possession.

 

If I can just get one more Pittsburgh loss (preferably today) to get them under 10.5 wins for the season, I'll be happy to root them on for the rest of the year as a thank you.

Go Bungles.

 

They seem determined to help you with that today. While I do believe the officiating has been horrible and the Bengals have been fortunate in that regard, Pittsburgh has played a very sloppy game today.

 

It's not in my market so I'm watching the FOX ticker and reading this.

When they got to 4-5, I was still uneasy that Pittsburgh could run the table. This is the only game I held out some hope for.

 

Speaking of horrible officiating, Kirkpatrick grabbed Coates' hair before the ball arrived, which should have been pass interference in the end zone, then grabbed the facemask and twisted after knocking the away. The official looking right at the play missed both calls.

Fouts didn't notice the hair pull, but he correctly went off about the facemask. I get the official missing the interference on that one, but I don't know how he missed the facemask.

Pittsburgh settles for another long field goal, a 49-yarder from Boswell to cut the Cincinnati advantage to 20-15.

 

If Bungles can get to 30 points, I think I'll be okay.

 

Cincinnati can't put these bastards away.

I'm moving onto the Ravens as the last chance.

 

Huge play by Lawrence Timmons. Dalton just didn't see him on the interception giving Pittsburgh the ball on the Cincinnati 34. Of course, the Steelers still haven't managed to reach the end zone today, at least not without a penalty wiping it out.

 

Fouts is joining me in pointing out the constant missed calls. Steelers take another huge penalty to disrupt this opportunity, this time a holding call on DeCastro. (Absolutely the right call on the hold. It was the illegal downfield on the interception that Fouts was talking about. A Bengals' lineman pushed Timmons into the interception.)

Thanks in part to the hold, Pittsburgh fails to reach the end zone again. Pittsburgh only gets a field goal off the interception and still trails, 20-18. Great day for Boswell, but this is quite a bit of fail on offense.

 

The next time Sammie Coates fights for a football and makes a tough catch will be the first, but now it is the Bengals taking big penalties, three of them on this drive.

Make that four, throwing Bell to the ground well after the whistle for another 15 yards.

The Steelers keep trying to self-destruct on this drive and the Bengals won't allow it. That reverse was a horrible play call and it is looking like Pittsburgh might have to settle for three again.

Edit: I'll happily take being wrong on that one. Of course, Tomlin had to give away a point by going for two, but the Steelers are up, 24-20. Eagle and Fouts did a nice job explaining why that was a mistake. If the Bengals score a touchdown, a field goal would only tie it, not win the game for Pittsburgh.