Play-by-play announcer Al Michaels hasn’t shied away from his displeasure of the lackluster performances on "Thursday Night Football" amid mounting criticism over his apparent lack of enthusiasm in the booth, but the Pittsburgh Steelers failed to change his mind during their Week 14 loss to the struggling New England Patriots.
Trailing 21-18 with less than two minutes left to play and a real chance to win or at least tie the game, Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky threw a deep pass to a well-covered Diontae Johnson on fourth-and-2 at midfield.
The pass was broken up by Patriots' cornerback Jonathan Jones, and Michaels couldn’t help but express his own confusion over the decision.
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"I don’t understand that call," analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who was in the booth with Michaels, said.
"No, neither do I. That was bizarro. On a fourth-and-2?"
"It’s really easy to sit up here and second guess calls, but it's such a low-percentage throw," Herbstreit continued. "I mean, it's fourth-and-2, you haven’t thrown to Diontae Johnson all night — are you just trying to get a flag here?"
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"Totally with you, dude. Totally with you," Michaels responded.
The Steelers nearly managed to claw back from an 18-point deficit, but New England quarterback Bailey Zappe’s three first-half touchdown passes proved too much to overcome for Trubisky, who made his first start in nearly a year in place of an injured Kenny Pickett.
"I have to play better," Trubisky said after the game. "I feel like I let the guys down. It’s disappointing. I didn’t play good enough to win."
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The last-place Patriots picked up their third victory of the season by beating the Steelers, who have now lost back-to-back games to two-win teams.
"Compliment those guys. They made the necessary plays. We didn't," Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin said. "I thought we fought in the second half, but to come up short on the turnover in terms of the points is the difference in the game."
The Steelers' postseason hopes continue to dim. Their final four games will be against serious playoff contenders.
"We get ready for our next opportunity next week. It's what we always do," Tomlin said. "Obviously, this stings, but we'll be back. This is what we do. This is who we are."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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