Pat Freiermuth Talks Lions Fumble and Tie: “Toughest Experience I’ve Ever Faced”

[Steeler Nation]

The Pittsburgh Steelers found out late the night prior to their November 14th game against the Detroit Lions that they were going to be without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger had tested positive for COVID-19, and due to NFL protocols at the time, wouldn’t be available until the next week.

So the team would turn to back-up Mason Rudolph against the NFL’s worst team. The Lions at that point were 0-8 and the Steelers 5-3. It was a game the Steelers couldn’t afford to lose and being without your starting quarterback wasn’t a good omen to start. But the Steelers would come out firing and go right down the field to score on the opening possession of the game. Rudolph found James Washington for a 9-yard touchdown and things were looking up for the Steelers.

But from there on out it was a wet, sloppy game. All the Steelers would manage would be three more field goals and the game would head to overtime tied 16-16. Things would get worse for the Steelers there.

The Lions would receive the kickoff in overtime, but the Steelers defense would force a punt. On the Steelers second play of overtime, Rudolph would finally connect on a deep ball to Diontae Johnson. Johnson would turn up field after the reception and head into Detroit territory, but he’d fumble and the Steelers chance would be over.

To the Steelers pleasure, the Lions would miss a game winning field goal attempt and the game would continue. With 1:37 left in overtime, the Steelers took over with a chance to finally end the game. Rudolph would drive the Steelers from their own 11-yard line to midfield with 29 seconds left. Rudolph’s next pass to Johnson would get them near field goal range at the 39-yard line with 15 seconds left. Instead of trying for the field goal, the Steelers tried to get it a little bit closer for Chris Boswell because of the sloppy conditions. That’s when disaster hit the rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth. While fighting to get out of bounds, he fumbled. The Lions recovered and the game ended in a tie.

“It was definitely tough. That was the toughest experience I’ve ever faced, because in college and in high school, up to that point, I’ve never really been in a situation where, in my mind, it cost us the game,” Freiermuth told Adam Breneman on his podcast. “Obviously everybody’s gonna say there’s other plays that could’ve won it, but in my mind, that play lost us the game.”

As expected though, the Steelers locker room would pick up Freiermuth. Fumbles happen, but this one just happened at the very worst possible time.

“It was definitely tough the next couple of days going into the building, but the guys on the team were great, Tomlin was great, and stuff like that, but that was rough. That was definitely one of the experiences where I think back to, and for a couple of weeks after that, whenever I got the ball, I was very timid. Like, ‘don’t fumble the ball.'”

Freiermuth would rebound from this devastating experience, though. He would finish the season with 60 receptions and 7 touchdowns with 9 starts under his belt.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE.

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