2. Two Pass Interference Calls
The Colts were hit with two pass interference calls that inarguably helped facilitate Pittsburgh’s comeback.
The prominent talking point after Indianapolis’ epic collapse will be the two controversial pass interference calls on Pittsburgh’s final drive of the third quarter that extended into the beginning of the final 15 minutes.
First, we saw a despicable flag thrown on cornerback Kenny Moore, who was said to have interfered with wideout Diontae Johnson. However, upon further review, it became clear that the contact was incidental and (at most) minimal — not to mention that the ball was tipped.
Despite all of those factors seemingly working in the Colts’ favor, the Steelers were awarded a gain of 24 yards early in their make-or-break drive.
Then came the equally-egregious call on fellow cornerback TJ Carrie, who was penalized for allegedly grabbing Johnson’s jersey on a deep route when he was really just trying to make a play on the ball.
If officials wanted, they could probably call pass interference on not only every play, but on both the pass catcher and defender given how much hand-checking transpires during routes. However, they simply had no business calling Carrie for pass interference on this play.
The call set Pittsburgh up with 1st and goal deep in the red zone, and they would ultimately capitalize in the form of a touchdown pass to tight end (and former Colt) Eric Ebron, shrinking their deficit to just three points with essentially a full quarter left to play.