Only a few inches were between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Rams when they won Monday afternoon.
Even though the Rams seemed to be in a bad spot late at SoFi Stadium, they couldn’t challenge the play.
With just over two minutes left, Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett ran a sneak to try to score on a fourth-and-1 play just past midfield. At that point, the Steelers were ahead 24–17 and all they had to do to win was keep their drive going.
Pickett looked like he was stopped well before the line to gain after taking the snap and being tackled almost right away. But after officials looked at the ball and gave him a good spot, they decided he had just gotten enough for the first down.
Even the Rams couldn’t question the play because they were out of timeouts. As it was called on the field, the call stood, and the Steelers ran out the clock to win by seven points.
Los Angeles was ahead for most of the game on Sunday. In the middle of the third quarter, Darrell Henderson scored on a 1-yard run to give Los Angeles a touchdown lead. But the Steelers put together a great fourth quarter that allowed them to run the ball out late. Jaylen Warren tied the game with a 13-yard score run just two minutes into the extra time. Then, after forcing the Rams to punt, Najee Harris scored on a 3-yard run to give the Steelers the lead. The drive had 10 plays and 80 yards.
When the Rams had one last chance to score, Matthew Stafford threw three straight empty passes. With just over five minutes left, his team punted the ball away. They didn’t have the ball after that.
That’s just 14 out of 29 for 231 yards, one score, and one interception for Stafford in the loss. Stafford now has a 3-4 record on the season. Henderson ran 18 times for 61 yards and a score, and Royce Freeman ran 12 times for 66 yards. Puka Nacua caught eight passes and gained 154 yards. He has now scored 100 yards four times this season.
For the Steelers, Pickett completed 17 out of 25 passes, gaining 230 yards. Harris ran for 53 yards on 14 runs, and George Pickens caught five passes for 107 yards. They’ve won four of their last five games. Week after next, they play home to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
