Steelers' Isaac Seumalo Outlines His Feelings About Ridiculous Penalty; Will Wait For NFL Apology Letter

The Pittsburgh Steelers just finished a disappointing Week 8 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, losing 20-10. The defense couldn't find an answer to Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, while the offense looked as tired as ever. Kenny Pickett exited the game with a rib injury he sustained after taking a brutal hit that should have been called as roughing the passer. Throughout the game, the referees weren't on Pittsburgh's side, and no one took better notice than offensive lineman, Isaac Seumalo. 

Seumalo has been a solid blocker for the Steelers on the offensive line since he arrived in 2023. While not being an outstanding piece, he's solid enough to get his job done and keep the pocket clean for Pickett. He's also not known for being a highly penalized lineman, but he encountered one of the rarest fouls an offensive lineman can commit. 

With seconds left in the first half of the game, Pittsburgh was in prime position for a Chris Boswell field goal to send them into the half with some momentum. Boswell's 55-yard kick was good, but it was called back after Seumalo was called offsides before the snap. Almost everyone familiar with football associates an offsides penalty with the defense, if they jump across the line of scrimmage too early. 

However, if any lineman is lined up in front of the ball in the center's hands, it is possible for an offensive player to be guilty of being offsides. The penalty is extremely rare as all offensive lineman must line up near the center's waistline, so they're not too close to the line of scrimmage or too far back to gain a step on their defender. 

Seumalo's penalty erased Boswell's successful field goal, forcing him to move to a 61-yard kick, which would have been a career-long. He missed his kick and the Steelers went into the locker room confused and demoralized. After the game, Seumalo expressed his confusion, as well as stating he would like an apology from the referees as he thinks they incorrectly penalized him. 

"Obviously the referees saw something different. I’m sure in a couple of days we will get a nice little apology. That will warm my heart.”

The referees were a large problem against the Jaguars, as they continuously seemed to favor the Jaguars over the Steelers, picking and choosing what to call and protecting the Jaguars' players more than Pittsburgh's. Seumalo recognizes that the referees have been an issue this year, but he doesn't hold his odd penalty against them, explaining that in the grand scheme of things, one penalty doesn't affect much and wasn't the only thing that lost the Steelers the game. 

"It’s far, far from the reason the game was not won. It’s very, very minor to me in terms of the refs stuff. There’s much more prudent & important stuff offensively that we need to look at.”

Many players didn't take the referee's performance as lightly as Seumalo. Diontae Johnson had some fiery language for the officials in his locker room interview, claiming the game was fixed and the referees were rooting for the Jaguars. Head Coach, Mike Tomlin was far from a happy camper, stating that he had never seen a penalty like that in his 17 years of coaching. But regardless of penalties, the Steelers need to fix some glaring issues on offense, and some of that includes the offensive line. 

Steelers Need To Bounce Back

After falling to 4-3 on the season, the Steelers need to continue to be aggressive in order to compete in a strong AFC North division. The offensive line has been less than stellar so far, even with all the money and draft picks invested. Rookie, Broderick Jones is still very limited in his snap counts, while linemen like Dan Moore Jr. and Chukwuma Okorafor still needing to settle in and find their groove. The offense revolved around the offensive line, as neither a quarterback nor running back can play their best if they don't have good protection.