OPINION | This article contains opinion. This site is licensed to publish this content.
Some NFL players were reportedly surprised to learn that their games could end in a tie.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions ended their game with a tie.
Players on both teams appeared ready to continue playing without realizing the situation.
Lions running back Godwin Igwebuike admitted after the game he didn’t know NFL games could end in a tie.
“It’s nuts. “I’m back there like, ‘Yo, how many overtimes can we do?’ And they’re like, ‘Three’ … I hear, ‘Two, one,’ and we were like, ‘Yo, whatever’s going on, we’re about to just put our all into it,’” he said.
Steelers’ Najee Harris also didn’t know this could happen.
“I didn’t even know you could tie in the NFL,” Harris said.
“In my mind, I was sitting on the bench saying, ‘I’ve got another quarter to go.’ But someone came to me and said, ‘That’s it.’ I’ve never had a tie in my life before.”
From Fox News:
The tie at least guarantees the Lions won’t finish the season 0-17. Detroit came into the game losers of their first eight games of the season. The team had even left coach Dan Campbell in tears earlier this season with how frustrating some of the games have been during the year.
“I’m in this twilight zone. I don’t know what this is, really, and I’m sure I’ve been in a tie before as a player, but for some reason I can’t remember that, if it was,” Campbell said.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff said he believed that was the first time he ever experienced.
Both the Lions and the Steelers had opportunities in overtime to win the game.
The Steelers fumbled their first possession of the overtime period and the Lions marched down to set up a 48-yard field-goal attempt for Ryan Santoso. He would miss the kick. The Steelers and Lions could both trade punts and finally, the Steelers would fumble for the second time in the overtime.
The Lions failed to make a last-ditch effort to win the game with 8 seconds left, thus ending the game in a tie.
— Advertisement —
