The Steelers fell 24-21 to the Raiders Sunday in Oakland, and there's plenty of blame to go around in the aftermath.
From the defense allowing 14 points to the Raiders in the fourth quarter to Chris Boswell going 0-2 (including a potential game-tying field goal at the end of regulation) to several talking points in between, this game was flat-out not ideal for the visiting squad.
Making matters worse, some questions linger — like the one surrounding the play below. Watch it before we dive in:
Trailing by four with 4:51 left in the third quarter, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr slings a pass into the hands of tight end Derek Carrier, who makes the play and rolls to the Steelers' 13-yard line.
But was it a catch?
Note how quickly Carr comes to the line to rattle off another play. He seems to realize the potential controversy, and he immediately hands the ball to Doug Martin to prevent Mike Tomlin from throwing his challenge flag.
Let's take another look, this time zoomed in:
Now let's slow it down:
That's a close call. The ball certainly makes contact with the ground. Whether Carrier had control throughout becomes the issue.
Tomlin, who is 0-4 with challenges this year, ultimately didn't call in an extra set of eyes to evaluate this one, and the Raiders were rewarded with a chunk of yardage.
Carr would go on to fumble on the drive — recovered by the Steelers — so the catch/no-catch ultimately had no direct impact on the score. That said, it could have cost the Steelers field position and it could have further served as an opportunity for Tomlin to break his cold streak with challenges on the year.
