The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Steelers Frustrating Loss to Jaguars

Bonus Ugly: The Officiating Fiasco Did Pittsburgh No Favors

Personally, I'm not one to acknowledge poor officiating. Oftentimes, teams have plenty of opportunities to overcome poor officiating. Fans can be reactionary and that can lead to blowing some things out of proportion.

To further that position, both teams ended the game with six penalties a piece. The Jaguars actually had more penalty yards, 72 to Pittsburgh's 52.

However, the points taken off the board and the misjudgment of what is or isn't a roughing the passer penalty crushed the Steelers at the end of the first half and changed the game.

Sure, the Steelers had plenty of chances in the second half, and the shenanigans did cool off overall. Poor officiating didn't injure Pickett directly, force Trubisky to throw into triple coverage, or take Kazee out of position on Etienne's touchdown reception, but it was a significant portion of the story of the game and deserves recognition. It's out of the Steelers' control, ultimately, but the weight of the officiating was certainly an ugly aspect of the loss for Pittsburgh.