Ball don’t lie: 3 worst calls from Week 9 in the NFL

When the Cowboys get slighted, you know it’s been a bad week

America’s Team lost to the World’s Team this week, at least if you ask Ben Roethlisberger. But in the final minutes of that defeat were several questionable decisions that, at the very least, are backed up by the rulebook. Such penalties — like Jaylon Smith receiving a roughing the passer penalty for accidentally hitting Big Ben in the face on a pass rush — are certainly week, but technically illegal.

That’s the caveat with all penalties these days. NFL officials give themselves plenty of leeway in the language of the rulebook. So, when folks like me get all uptight about one decision or another, they can always go back to the book. It’s a cop out, sure, but it also keeps articles like mine from extending far past the usual “three worst calls” conundrum. Truth has it, just about every NFL game has some level of questionable at best officiating.

Sure, the Steelers got a few calls and avoided disaster. Pittsburgh was a 14.5 favorite entering the game, and the officials calling the game looked at times to have taken Mike Tomlin’s squad straight up. But the old adage is true, as well. Bad teams get more calls against them. It’s why the New York Giants could have their own weekly segment. Bad teams are led by bad coaches, and therefore aren’t disciplined enough to avoid some very basic calls against them.

Truth be told, bad officiating goes both ways, even when you’re playing the New England Patriots. There’s no secret society of NFL referees aiming to influence the outcomes of games in favor or larger fanbases. No one is that organized, anyway.

3. Blindside block that wasn’t by Terrell Edmunds

On a critical interception thrown by Garrett Gilbert in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds was called for a personal foul on the return by Minkah Fitzpatrick. The pick still counted, but it set Ben Roethlisberger and Co. up at the one yard-line.

Edmunds hit the Cowboys offensive lineman from a side angle, rather than when his back was turned. As such, it’s not a blindside block. Pittsburgh would go on to defeat Dallas, and avoid an upset none of us saw coming. However, it was made tougher by a call which seemed to do far more to quell Mike McCarthy on the Dallas sidelines than to service the players on the field.