NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore weighs in on 2 controversial plays from Steelers’ win over Packers
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During his weekly appearance on WDVE, NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore (Uniontown/Washington, Pa.) weighed in on two controversial calls from Sunday’s Steelers-Packers game.
One play went in favor of the Steelers that perhaps should have been overturned. The other, he believes, was a good call that significantly helped the Packers’ cause.
In the second quarter of the Steelers’ eventual 23-19 win, quarterback Kenny Pickett took a snap from his own 16-yard line. He threw what was deemed to be an incomplete forward pass on a swing pattern to running back Jaylen Warren down the line of scrimmage.
However, Green Bay challenged the ruling, saying that it was a lateral or backward pass and should have been ruled a fumble. The Packers recovered it and ran toward the end zone. The play was blown dead. But, presumably, Green Bay still could have been awarded the ball upon review, as it would have been a clear recovery.
At the time, CBS color analyst Charles Davis disagreed with the call and thought it should’ve been a fumble. Initially, Steratore didn’t think there was enough evidence to overturn the incomplete call on the field.
Charles Davis doesn't have as spirited an argument with Gene Steratore that Cris Collinsowrth had with Terry McAulay, but the CBS analyst let the former head official that he disagrees, "vehemently."
Steratore really taking a stand here: "To me, it was just not enough to… pic.twitter.com/HjfadUy9Ga
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 12, 2023
During Tuesday’s radio appearance, Steratore maintained the NFL could have been seeing something different at the time through its video review system. But he also said after watching the play repeatedly, he could see why Davis was so adamant that the ball should’ve been awarded to Green Bay.
Was this incomplete pass from Kenny Pickett to Jaylen Warren backwards? Packers thought so, ran it into the end zone, and challenged that they recovered it for a TD, but lost the challenge. pic.twitter.com/M8B7xZ4onM
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) November 12, 2023
“You assume that they are looking at something that possibly is showing them that this is just too tight to overturn, so we’ll go with the ruling on the field,” Steratore said. “After looking, it does appear like it’s a foot or two behind. Kenny opens up to his right. So what you’re trying to dissect, truly, within 30 seconds, are his feet at the nine (yard line)? But is his arm behind his feet, which puts it at the eight and three-quarters? The ball is thrown, it’s touched… I didn’t have my protractor out. I didn’t have my ruler out.”
If Green Bay had gotten the ball inside the Steelers’ 10-yard line at that moment, the entire game could’ve changed.
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As for a controversial call late in the fourth quarter, Stertaore said the officials were right to call an offensive pass interference penalty against Calvin Austin, which wiped out a big pass completion from Pickett to George Pickens.
“It’s a great call and not an easy call,” Steratore said. “Once an offensive eligible receiver goes one yard or beyond down the field, it is his responsibility to avoid the defense. Unless the defense comes up to engage them, then we’re playing into illegal contact or defensive holding. But in running routes in these scenarios, once that receiver goes one yard or beyond down the field, it is the receiver’s responsibility to avoid the defense.”
The penalty wiped out a 28-yard gain, and the Steelers ended up punting. That gave the Packers one more shot at what would’ve been a game-winning touchdown, but Damontae Kazee made a game-saving interception.