CLEVELAND — Facing a fourth-and-nine from the Cleveland Browns' 10-yard line, the Pittsburgh Steelers appeared poised to take a 6-3 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the second half.
But rather than taking a likely three-point lead against a Browns offense that's been hampered by injuries, the Steelers opted for a fake field goal with kicker Chris Boswell's pass attempt to tight end Zach Gentry falling incomplete. Even worse for Pittsburgh, Boswell was injured on the play after taking a hit from Cleveland defensive tackle Jordan Elliott.
Boswell left for the locker room before the end of the first half and Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III could be seen practicing field goal attempts once Pittsburgh returned to the field. After halftime, the team officially announced that Boswell was being evaluated for a concussion and was questionable to return.
The Steelers' unsuccessful fake field goal attempt could prove to be a pivotal play in a game between two teams whose offenses have failed to consistently move the ball. At halftime, Cleveland had totaled just 132 yards on 31 plays, while Pittsburgh had netted 137 yards on 32 plays. Furthermore, neither Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield nor Steelers signal-caller Ben Roethlisberger had completed a pass of more than 16 yards.
With Boswell potentially out of the game, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin could take a more aggressive approach on offense, especially in the red zone.
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