Costly decision for Green Bay
The Green Bay Packers were in prime position for an upset at Pittsburgh, leading by seven late in the third quarter when coach Mike McCarthy called for a 57-yard field goal try by Mason Crosby on fourth-and-18.
Heinz Field is a notoriously difficult venue for kicking, with winds off the city’s three rivers swirling in through the open end of the stadium. But McCarthy believed the Packers needed the points more than the field position. Crosby’s low attempt looked like a knuckleball and didn’t come close. The Steelers went 53 yards the other way in six plays for the tying touchdown.
The longest field goal made in an NFL game at Heinz Field since it opened in 2001 was 53 yards, a record matched later on Sunday night by Chris Boswell as time expired to give the Steelers a 31-28 victory . The valiant effort by the Packers in the best performance of backup quarterback Brett Hundley’s brief career ultimately went for naught, pushing McCarthy into the second-guessing spotlight for Week 12’s round of armchair quarterbacking.
“You don’t have time to check records,” McCarthy said after the game, when asked by a reporter whether he realized what was the longest made kick at the stadium before sending Crosby out to try. McCarthy added: “I obviously have a lot of faith and trust in Mason.
“That’s the right decision,” he said steadfastly.
