Chase Claypool’s bonehead celebration crushed Steelers’ comeback hopes

The Steelers almost pulled off one of the most memorable comebacks in recent NFL history after going down 29-0 to the Vikings – but their chances were hurt by a major self-inflicted error.

With no timeouts and his team down eight points, Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool caught a fourth-down pass for a first down with 38 seconds to go in the game. Pittsburgh tried to hurry up and spike the ball to conserve the clock, but Claypool inexplicably decided to celebrate the first down, making a motion with his hands and holding onto the ball instead of getting it back to the line of scrimmage.

The ball was then knocked out of his hands, and the Steelers were unable to stop the clock until 24 seconds were left in the game.

The Steelers ended up making it to first down at the 12-yard line, but by then there were only three seconds left on the clock. Ben Roethlisberger floated a perfect pass into the end zone for rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth that he was unable to pull in, and the game was over. But if Claypool had not celebrated his catch, the team may have had another shot – or two – to tie it up.

After the game, the 23-year-old admitted he made a mistake – while not exactly conceding that it contributed to the loss.

“Definitely gotta be better,” Claypool said. “I got tackled near the hash, did my little first-down point and went to hand the ball to the ref. He had just got there. So, even if I got right up and looked for him, he wasn’t there. He ran down the field to come get the ball. The ball got knocked out of my hands. That’s what cost us time. But I definitely do have to be better. I knew the situation.”

It was actually Claypool’s second bonehead moment of the game. Earlier, he received a 15-yard penalty for appearing to flick Vikings cornerback Bashaud Breeland in the face after making a catch. The move resulted in a benching for a few plays, head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed.

When asked if the message was received, Tomlin said, “We’ll see.” Based on what happened at the end of the game, it appears not so much.

Claypool had a productive game, catching eight passes for 93 yards, but his antics cost the team in more ways than one. The Steelers are now 6-6-1, on the fringe of the playoff hunt, and face the Titans in Week 15.