If you’re still thinking that the Steelers’ 16-16 tie with the Lions felt more like a loss, you are not alone. Receiver Ray-Ray McCloud is right there with you – and then some.
“In this building it feels like a loss,” McCloud admitted the day after that frustrating tie. “Coming in, it feels like a loss.”
For McCloud, who otherwise had a career game, it was actually a double dose of defeat. He also lost out on what could have been his first NFL touchdown. Obviously, that could have made the difference in the outcome.
After losing leads of 7-0 and 10-7, the Steelers found themselves trailing the lowly Lions, 16-10, midway through the third quarter. Facing third-and-goal from the 5-yard line McCloud was wide open just over the goal line but Mason Rudolph threw the ball at McCloud’s feet.
Rudolph, who had trouble throwing throughout the wet afternoon, felt awful for a number of reasons. “Yeah, the glove kind of grabbed it a little bit there at the end,” he lamented, “I've got to make that throw.
He did a great job of getting open for us down there in the red zone. It's one I've got to make, and I don't want to make an excuse (with the conditions).
I've got to make that throw.”
While not throwing the blame at his quarterback, McCloud didn’t disagree. “Just missed execution,” he said. “Throughout the game we didn’t execute on certain plays and that’s something that bit us in the butt toward the end.” Settling for 3 points instead of scoring 7 and taking a 17-16 lead, of course, did loom large.
The eventual disappointment put a damper on what should have been McCloud’s big day. With Chase Claypool out – and JuJu Smith-Schuster’s season long-since over – McCloud put up some numbers. He was targeted 12 times and made 9 catches - 3 times as many as his previous career highs in both categories. His punt returns were also solid, if not spectacular, averaging 9 yards on 6 returns.
Of course, after his fumble nearly cost the Steelers a win against Chicago the game before, perhaps solid is more McCloud’s goal these days. “For me, it’s not a practice thing, It’s more a decision thing,” explained McCloud who said he has had a chat with Mike Tomlin about that.
“Times I have made mistakes, I’m trying to make the big play, instead of taking the 10 or 15 (yards). Instead of making something out of nothing, sometimes (I’ve) got to take what’s given.”
Now, after his productive effort – albeit it in a tie game – maybe McCloud will be given more chances, especially with the receiving corps still injury-riddled. “You never know going into a game what’s going to come and what’s not going to come,” he said, “so my mindset was (I’ll take) anything that comes my way to make plays.”