Steelers' Mike McCarthy Gave The Buccaneers A Huge Advantage On The Game-Tying Field Goal

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday to move to 4-2 on the year. Pittsburgh erased a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit and won in overtime on a game-winning touchdown from rookie Germie Bernard. The defense came in clutch down the stretch as well and this was the first road victory for the team of the young season. Though the Steelers came through, Head Coach Mike McCarthy made several crucial mistakes in managing the game that could have left Pittsburgh 3-3. 

The Steelers' coaching staff arguably mismanaged the win against Tampa in multiple ways. After an interception against his former team, cornerback Jamel Dean returned the football to inside the five-yard line for Pittsburgh's offense. The Steelers threw the ball twice and failed to execute, giving the Buccaneers a timeout and over a minute to drive. Failing to force Tampa to use both timeouts was a crucial mistake, but not their biggest. 

Before lining up to kick the game-tying field goal, McCarthy opted for the middle ground and stopped the clock with 13 seconds left, instead of calling an earlier timeout. This left the Steelers offense with no time to win in regulation and kept Tampa's field goal unit from potentially rushing the snap, since they had no timeouts on fourth down. The timeout before the kick was also a huge mistake in a different light, giving Chase McLaughlin an advantage to make the tying kick.  

Team insider Nick Farabaugh recently appeared on 93.7 The Fan, where he shed new light on McCarthy's apparent late-game mistake. Farabaugh noted that kickers use a different football than offenses, and the Buccaneers had an offensive football. Calling a timeout let them switch to a kicking ball and get it on the field, giving McLaughlin a better chance to make the kick. 

"I don't think people understand the ball used in kicking; he called a timeout with 13 seconds left. That was the ball that Ted Hurst had caught. It's not a kicking ball," Farabaugh stated. "When he called timeout, he allowed the Buccaneers to sub out that ball for an actual kicking ball that Chase McLaughlin had wanted to use. So, he actually gave the Buccaneers a better football and a better chance at making their field goal by calling the timeout."

McCarthy did make it clear that he did intend to call the timeout immediately after Tampa Bay's previous play, but there was a miscommunication between him and the referee. Regardless, many fans and pundits argue that a timeout shouldn't have been called either way.

The Steelers won the game, so there's no harm, no foul. However, something needs to change with how they use timeouts throughout the game. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers often gets the play call too late and is forced to burn a timeout rather than take the delay-of-game penalty. Getting the play calls in quicker so Rodgers can work the line of scrimmage is an easy fix, and it should come more as the season progresses. 

Steelers' Mismanagement In Week 6 Is Alarming

One of McCarthy's first moves as Steelers head coach was hiring the organization's first-ever game management coordinator. Tim Berbenich serves in this role and also helps out with quarterbacks. McCarthy brought Berbenich in to help manage games while he calls plays, yet Week 6 was arguably one of Pittsburgh's worst-managed games in some time. 

The Steelers also have an assistant head coach in Joe Whitt Jr., who likely has a voice in the matter. It's unclear whether McCarthy was taking advice from Berbenich and Whitt or managing on his own. However, with the positions on the coaching staff to help with managing a game, the product needs to be better. The team must manage the clock more efficiently and use timeouts more appropriately. 

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