The NFL has informed the Pittsburgh Steelers that a pair of penalties that nearly cost them a win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday should not have been called in the first place, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The two calls in question against the Steelers -- a roughing-the-passer penalty on nose tackle Casey Hampton and a pass interference call on cornerback Ike Taylor -- came during back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter of the team's 27-21 win.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin sent a formal complaint to the NFL after the game, according to the Post-Gazette. In response, the league informed the Steelers that Hampton's penalty was incorrectly flagged because Hampton hit Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer on the thigh -- not to the head or below the knee. The call on Taylor was also a mistake, according to the newspaper.
The calls, which helped Palmer and the Bengals drive to Pittsburgh's 1-yard line, were not enough in the end.
The Steelers escaped with the victory when Palmer's fourth-down pass to rookie wide receiver Jordan Shipley was knocked away by Taylor and Steelers linebacker James Harrison with 34 seconds remaining.
