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WATCH: Referees Bad Spot For Kenny Pickett Sneak Dooms Los Angeles Rams

Did the referees determine the outcome of the Los Angeles Rams loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Matt Galatzan

In this story:

The Los Angeles Rams suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon.

And it may have come down to a bad spot by the referees.

On 4th and 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers elected to try and QB sneak to win the game, and at first glance, it appeared they came up well short, with Kenny Pickett's knee hitting the ground with the balls till behind the line to gain.

The referees ultimately gave the Steelers a generous spot, resulting in a first down.

However, due to the fact that the play occurred outside of two minutes remaining, and the Rams being out of timeouts, they could not challenge the spot, allowing Pittsburgh to take a knee at the two-minute warning, and run out the clock.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) is brought down by Los Angeles Rams linebacker Michael Hoecht (97) during the first half at SoFi Stadium.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) is brought down by Los Angeles Rams linebacker Michael Hoecht (97) during the first half at SoFi Stadium / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Would the Rams had made the stop, the odds would still have been stacked against Matthew Stafford and the Rams' offense, with 60 yards to go in two minutes with no timeouts.

That said, Stafford has made a living making fourth-quarter comebacks throughout his career in both Los Angeles and Detroit.

In fact, Stafford sits sixth all-time and first among active quarterbacks with 34 career fourth-quarter comebacks - the most recent coming this season against the Indianapolis Colts. 

Nevertheless, the Rams surely would have loved the opportunity to decide that for themselves, rather than have a botched spot determining yet another close loss. 

The Rams will be back on the field next Sunday when they travel to Arlington to take on the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, in what will be a homecoming for Stafford.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com

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