The Pittsburgh Steelers needed a big gain in the first half of Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons, and a huge pass to George Pickens from quarterback Justin Fields looked like just what the team needed.
That was until the referees threw a flag on Pickens calling offensive pass interference.
It looked like a 36-yard play for the Steelers on third-and-9 until the penalty was called on Pickens. The Steelers were then pushed back for a third-and-19, which they failed to convert and were forced to punt the ball.
Many fans online couldn't believe a penalty was called on Pickens. It appeared Pickens shoved his defender, Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. before he caught the ball. But, some argued the shove wasn't hard enough to warrant a penalty.
Some fans expressed their disagreement with the penalty on X (formerly known as Twitter) after the flag was thrown. Here are some of the reactions.
Pickens called for offensive pass interference and it takes away a big gain.. Questionable call here. #PITvsATL pic.twitter.com/O3OytModoP
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) September 8, 2024
That’s a terrible call on GP, no way that’s OPI!
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) September 8, 2024
The #Steelers have been done no favors by the officials today. Could find a soft OPI call on George Pickens under a microscope but not the obvious grab and remove a player's helmet after the play by Jessie Bates.
— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) September 8, 2024
REFS JUST CALLED THIS OFFENSIVE PASS INTERFERENCE ON GEORGE PICKENS… AWFUL CALL. 👎 pic.twitter.com/GsSrENWjMH
— Sideline Daily (@sideline_daily) September 8, 2024
George Pickens legitimately didn't do anything
— Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) September 8, 2024
That George Pickens play was the single softest offensive PI call of the past 10 seasons. At least.
— Rick Fish 🐟 (@rickfish412) September 8, 2024
Absolute garbage 🗑️
Seen the replay 4 times. It’s not OPI on George Pickens. It’s just not. That’s hand fighting. Soft call. Can change an entire game.
— Kevin Adams (@KevinAdams26) September 8, 2024
Butttt. Give credit. Absolute DIIIIME by Fields.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Fans Strongly Disagreed With Offensive Pass Interference Call on George Pickens.
