Steelers' Mike McCarthy Calls Out Jack Sawyer After Critical Interception

The Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves scrambling for answers during one of the biggest defensive plays of Thursday night's 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Robert Spears-Jennings appeared to come away with an interception, but a defensive pass interference penalty against Daylen Everette initially wiped away the turnover. The Steelers believed Jack Sawyer had tipped the football at the line of scrimmage, which would eliminate the pass interference penalty, but Head Coach Mike McCarthy needed confirmation before challenging the ruling.

Pittsburgh eventually got the decision right. Sawyer had indeed gotten a piece of Deshaun Watson's pass, McCarthy challenged the play and the penalty was overturned, allowing Spears-Jennings' interception to stand. However, the process of getting to that point clearly frustrated McCarthy almost as much as the original call.

The Steelers' coaching staff wasn't immediately receiving the replay angle it needed upstairs, according to McCarthy. Defensive coaches believed Sawyer had tipped the football, leaving McCarthy holding his challenge flag while Pittsburgh attempted to determine exactly what happened. The most obvious source of that information was Sawyer himself, and McCarthy couldn't understand why his defender hadn't immediately communicated such an important detail.

"Yeah, definitely, we felt that Jack had tipped the ball," McCarthy said. "We were not getting a replay upstairs because every replay was showing the catch and the end of the play. Frankly, the defensive coaches felt that he tipped it, so I had the flag in my hand and we were yelling at Jack, and he said, 'Yeah, I tipped it.'"

That confirmation was everything Pittsburgh needed. Once Sawyer acknowledged getting his hand on the football, McCarthy had considerably more confidence in throwing the challenge flag. The stadium replay then provided another look at the play, giving Pittsburgh visual confirmation of what its defensive coaches and Sawyer already believed had happened. The Steelers ultimately won the challenge, but McCarthy still had an issue to address with Sawyer afterward.

"I told him afterwards, 'If you tipped it, why the he** do we have to ask if you tipped it?'" McCarthy said. "When all that was going on, they showed it on the Jumbotron, and that's when I threw the flag."

It's a funny quote on the surface, but McCarthy's frustration makes plenty of sense. NFL coaches have a limited amount of time to decide whether to challenge a ruling. Pittsburgh couldn't afford to casually wait for the perfect replay angle while the Browns prepared to run their next play. If Sawyer knew he touched the football, communicating that information immediately should have been one of the easiest ways to help McCarthy make his decision.

Instead, Pittsburgh's coaches were yelling toward Sawyer looking for confirmation. That could have become an extremely frustrating mistake had Cleveland gotten to the line quickly enough to run another play. Once the next snap occurs, McCarthy loses his opportunity to challenge the previous ruling, and Pittsburgh potentially loses a takeaway because its coaching staff didn't receive information quickly enough.

Sawyer deserves credit for making the play in the first place. Getting a hand on the pass created the circumstances that allowed Spears-Jennings to come away with the interception, and Pittsburgh desperately needed the turnover while attempting to climb back into the game.

Steelers' McCarthy Wants Some Better Communication From Sawyer

That distinction matters when evaluating McCarthy's unusually direct response. The Steelers' head coach wasn't publicly crushing Sawyer for making a bad football play. Sawyer made a good football play. McCarthy was irritated because a small communication detail could have prevented Pittsburgh from receiving the reward for it. Those details become especially important in games decided by three points.

Pittsburgh had already made enough mistakes against Cleveland, and the Steelers couldn't afford to potentially give away another opportunity because nobody clearly communicated what happened. McCarthy discussed Pittsburgh's failures in situational football throughout his postgame press conference, and this sequence provided another example of how quickly seemingly minor details can become significant.

Steelers fans, what did you make of Mike McCarthy's frustrated message to Jack Sawyer after the overturned interception? Let us know what you think, and follow Anthony G. Halkias II on X @anthonyghalkias for more Pittsburgh Steelers news.

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