Officials should have noticed an error by the operator that caused 18 seconds to tick off the game clock late in an eventual 24-20 Steelers victory Monday night against San Diego, the NFL said in a statement released today.
The clock operator at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium incorrectly started the play clock before the Steelers started their possession with less than three minutes remaining, causing the clock to run from 2:56 to 2:38 before the Steelers snapped the ball.
"The official game time is kept on the stadium scoreboard, but it is the responsibility of the side judge to supervise the timing of the game," the statement read.