Mike Tomlin made a puzzling decision at the end of the first half of the Steelers’ game against the Browns and it cost him his kicker.
With the game tied at 3 and the Steelers facing a fourth-and-9 from the Cleveland 10-yard line, it seemed as if the team was ready to settle for a field goal and take a 6-3 lead.
Instead, the Steelers ran a fake with placekicker Chris Boswell rolling out to his right to look for an open receiver. As Boswell attempted to connect with his target, he took what appeared to be a late hit in the neck/head area.
No flag was thrown, the pass was incomplete and Boswell left the game for the locker room after being evaluated by trainers on the sideline. He was reportedly being evaluated for a concussion and was later ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Punter Pressley Harvin III was practicing kickoffs as the teams came out to the field after the half.
It was certainly a head-scratching move when the Steelers could have given themselves an opportunity to take the lead into the half.
Not only that, but losing Boswell in a game in which both teams are scraping to score points makes it fair to wonder if it was a risk worth taking in that situation.
That proved true later in the third quarter when the Steelers scored a touchdown to pull within 10-9. A healthy Boswell could have tied the game but instead Pittsburgh went for two without their kicker.
They initially completed the conversion, but a holding penalty was called forcing them to do it again from the 12-yard line, which they did not convert.
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While the refs almost certainly should have thrown a flag on the play involving Boswell, as former NFL official Gene Steratore pointed out, it seemed to be an afterthought to many fans who were livid over the call that put Boswell in jeopardy and could possibly cost the Steelers the game.
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