When it comes to the NFL playoffs, it’s nice for a team to be in the driver’s seat controlling its own destiny. This year’s playoff scenarios were headache-inducing, with teams needing some teams to lose and others to win in order to secure a postseason spot.
The Steelers were one of those teams, and they came pretty close to punching their playoff ticket Sunday night, but a missed 41-yard field-goal try by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop late in the game led to a San Diego Chargers win in overtime and crashed Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes. As some fans noted, though, officials in the Chiefs-Chargers game missed an illegal formation by the San Diego defense on the fate-sealing missed kick.
Just before Succop’s kick, the Chargers lined up seven players to the right side of the line to attempt to block the ball. The problem is, a new NFL rule says a team can’t have more than six players on any one side of the line.
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The officials didn’t notice, but a flag should have been thrown on the play, and the ball moved up 5 yards, giving Succop an opportunity to try the kick from 36 yards. There’s no guaranteeing Succop would have made the second attempt, but having just missed a kick under 42 yards and considering the fact the Chiefs kicker is 90 percent on attempts under 40 yards, it’s likely he would have made it.
The Chiefs’ loss didn’t affect their playoff seeding at all, but with a Chargers loss on Sunday, the Steelers would have made the playoffs. Football really is a game of inches.
Photo of the day
There’s always next year, Rowdy.
Tweet of the day
The end of an era.
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Video of the day
All together now: “Awwwwwwwww.”
GIF via Twitter/@ErikMalinowski
