The Steelers got a 16-10 win in Cincinnati on Sunday and that made it a little easier to swallow a lost opportunity for a touchdown early in the game.
Officials ruled that wide receiver Diontae Johnson did not catch a pass from Kenny Pickett in the end zone with just under five minutes to play in the first quarter. Steelers running back Jaylen Warren lost a fumble on the next play, so the Steelers ended the drive without any points.
Replays showed that the initial ruling that Johnson did not control the ball in the field of play was likely incorrect and head coach Mike Tomlin explained at his postgame press conference why he did not challenge that ruling.
“They were definitive and I lost vision of it,” Tomlin said. “There were people between me and him. I couldn’t count steps. They never gave us another look at it in the stadium and we didn’t get a quick enough look at it up top. Sometimes it happens when you’re on the road. Some games being on the road, some games being at home, all those things even out in the big scheme of things.”
The Steelers would kick a field goal later in the first half, but they trailed 7-3 before rattling off the first 13 points of the second half to get a win.