GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jordan Berry believed the fake punt was still on, from the second he caught the snap up until the moment he realized that the Pittsburgh Steelers had called it off and shot out to cover.
The miscommunication was a major mistake in the fourth quarter, even though the Steelers escaped with a 23-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at State Farm Stadium.
“I thought we were good to go to run it,” Berry said. “The guys up front, something spooked them so they called it off. They didn’t let me know they called it off, so I started running and I’m still thinking I’m good. When they released, I was just like, ‘Oh (no), I’m about to get (expletive) killed here.’ ”
The special-teams gaffe was disastrous for the Steelers, who had a fourth-and-6 at their own 40 with a 10-point lead and 8 minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
When Berry ran the fake punt, Darrell Daniels drilled him to force a fumble the Cardinals recovered at the Steelers’ 32. Three plays later, Kyler Murray threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to David Johnson to cut the Steelers’ lead to three points.
It could have been a catastrophic mistake if not for Trey Edmunds turning around and trying to recover the loose ball. Edmunds wrestled for possession with Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck, who otherwise could have scooped it up and scored.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin took the blame for the questionable call, considering the timing and the stakes.
“Jordan doesn’t have latitude,” Tomlin said. “I make the decision, and I assume the responsibility.”
Tomlin was willing to take the good with the bad on special teams, saying the Steelers are “going to aggressively pursue victory. We’re going to be unashamed and unafraid.”
It was an otherwise good day for the special teams as the Steelers scored on Diontae Johnson’s 85-yard punt return for a touchdown and got field goals of 30, 37 and 25 yards from placekicker Chris Boswell.
But Berry was “pretty stressed out” after the fake punt failed.
“We got out of here with a win, so we can laugh about it now,” Berry said. “I could’ve given them a chance to get back in the game. … Obviously, on a play like that, it’s extremely costly. The offense might (have a miscommunication) and lose 5 yards. It was 50 yards right there, so that’s a bit different.”
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