Mike Tomlin offers a poor excuse for the illegal challenge flag in Week 8

It seems like challenge flags will only cause trouble for head coach Mike Tomlin. With the score tied at 6-6 in the second quarter, QB Russell Wilson appeared to hit WR George Pickens with a solid touchdown pass, potentially giving the Steelers a 13-6 lead. However, since all scoring plays are automatically reviewed, replay support determined that Pickens did not get both feet into the game. Unaware that the referees were loudly declaring that further review nullified the play, Tomlin threw a challenge flag that he wished he could have taken back. He was not allowed to challenge a play that had already been reviewed and the Pittsburgh Steelers were called a timeout.

Tomlin's apology for the botched challenge was far from acceptable, as he claimed he didn't know whether the play had been reviewed by the officials or not.

All 32 NFL coaches understand that scoring plays are automatically reviewed, and fortunately the Steelers were able to pull out the victory in Week 8, thanks in no small part to the poor decision to challenge the automatically reviewed play.

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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Mike Tomlin offers poor excuse for illegal challenge flag in Week 8