Did Steelers get screwed on fourth down with missed penalty?

Some Steelers fans still aren’t over a missed call from their loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football.

With Pittsburgh down two scores in the fourth quarter, Mike Tomlin elected to kick a field goal to trim the deficit. On said fourth-and-5, the Browns had too many men on the field, which (as always) is a penalty.

That penalty WAS called. However, that’s not the issue here.

Sharp does bring up a good point — if the down and distance was fourth and five, why weren’t the Steelers given a first down? Well, perhaps Pittsburgh had slightly more than five yards to gain, Warren.

Did the Steelers get screwed on fourth down?

As mentioned on the broadcast, five yards is not always five yards, if you catch my drift. Even with fourth and a half-yard, the Steelers needed two scores, so they elected to kick again.

Suggesting Pittsburgh got screwed over when they needed two scores in a short period of time anyway is a stretch. Tomlin could have gone for it (and the odds suggest he would’ve gotten that fourth-and-inches), but instead took the points because the Steelers’ deficit could not be solved, even with a touchdown on that possession. And time on the clock was at a premium.

All of that is why this play will not make it into our weekly segment here on FanSided, Ball Don’t Lie.

First, even if this call was a poor one, it didn’t have much of an impact on the final score. Either way, the Steelers needed an extra possession. Second, clearly Tomlin wanted the three points either way.