The Pittsburgh Steelers started off Sunday with a huge morale boost from an appearance by Ryan Shazier, the linebacker who had sustained a frightening back injury two weeks ago, then took a nearly proportional blow when Antonio Brown was knocked out of the game with a calf injury.
But the true emotional ringer came in the game’s final minute, when an overturned touchdown catch and an interception resulted in a gutting Pittsburgh loss against the New England Patriots, 27-24.
The reversal of fortune, which came after what was initially ruled a 10-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Jesse James with 34 seconds left, prevented the Steelers from clinching a first-round bye in the playoffs and opened up the race for home-field advantage, with the Steelers (11-3), the Patriots (11-3) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) still in contention.