'It was an embarrassment' - Mike Tomlin left livid with officials following bizarre 4th quarter review vs Seahawks
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin found himself infuriated during the Sunday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks. The contest ended with the Steelers clinching a 23-20 win in overtime, but an earlier sequence of events preceding the end of the fourth quarter seemed to have bothered Tomlin.
Geno Smith was leading the Seahawks down the field in hopes of tying the game and sending it into overtime. He threw a pass to DK Metcalf and the wide receiver fumbled it as he tried to get out of bounds. His teammate Freddie Swain recovered, and the Seahawks hurried to the line to snap the ball with 2 seconds left on the clock.
Officials instead stopped the game to review the fumble. The match paused for a few minutes while the referees reviewed the play, which allowed the Seahawks to huddle. When the dust settled and the referees arrived at a decision, the Seahawks, already on the scrimmage line ready to play, spiked the ball to stop the clock.
On the next play, Seahawks kicker Jason Myers kicked the field goal that tied the game and sent the clash into overtime.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin did not sugarcoat what he thought about the officials stopping the game to review the catch.
Mike Tomlin called the final play of regulation "an embarrassment" by officials because of stopping the clock. https://t.co/8ksTqm8IbC
"I hated it. I just hated it. I cannot believe that game was stopped to confirm catch, no catch in that moment."
However, possibly fearing a fine by the NFL, Tomlin refrained himself before going too far in his criticism.
"That's all I'm going to say. That's all I'm going to say. It was an embarrassment."
I think you can say some of those things on TV 😳 https://t.co/QpDyEQGtbB
Tomlin's Steelers win in overtime
Fortunately for head coach Tomlin, the polemic review did not prevent the Steelers from winning the Sunday Night Football game.
Chris Boswell went on to kick the game-winning field goal after TJ Watt stripped Smith of the football. After the game, Tomlin was full of praise for the veteran kicker, admitting the confidence the team has in Boswell.
"We've got a great deal of confidence in Boz. Obviously, he's been here and done it at a high level for a long time, but I've got to compliment our snapper and holder. They're new to us and, in some instances, new to pro ball, and they didn't blink either."
Tomlin extended the exaltation, celebrating not only the kicker but also the special unit as a whole.
"Young Pressley [Harvin III] holding those balls in big moments. We're appreciative of everybody involved. A field goal is a snap-hold-kick, so I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the efforts of all three men involved."