Ball Don't Lie: 3 worst calls from Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season

Week 3 NFL Worst Calls: Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick's phantom "roughing the passer" penalty on Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick took a lot of heat in Week 2 as he's the one who made the tackle that ended Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb's season. And that heat was unwarranted as it was a perfectly legal play that simply happened to result in a terrible injury.

In Week 3, the spotlight was on Fitzpatrick yet again during the Steelers' Sunday Night Football matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, this time for a "roughing the passer" penalty on Jimmy Garoppolo.

Trailing by 16 in the fourth quarter, the Raiders were driving and facing 2nd & 10 on the Steelers' 18-yard line. As Jimmy G dropped back to pass, Fitzpatrick burst through the line and sacked him for what appeared to be a six-yard loss.

But that six-yard loss turned into a nine-yard gain as Fitzpatrick was penalized for "roughing the passer," moving Las Vegas forward half the distance to the goal.

The officials explained to Fitzpatrick that he was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit. But instant replay, which wasn't used during the game, clearly showed that Fitzpatrick hit Garoppolo's shoulder, not his head.

The Raiders scored a touchdown three plays later, and the ensuing two-point conversion cut the Steelers' lead to eight.

Thankfully for Mike Tomlin & Co, the penalty ultimately didn't matter as Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels apparently forgot how to read a clock as Pittsburgh hung on for a 23-18 win.