With the game on the line in their Monday Night Football matchup against the San Diego Chargers, the Pittsburgh Steelers elected to put the ball in the hands of their most consistent playmaker on offense, running back Le’Veon Bell.
It worked.
Only five seconds remained in the game and the Steelers were on the Chargers’ 1-yard line. Many people—myself included—assumed the Steelers would dial up something traditional like a quarterback sneak, or a dive or blast with Bell carrying the football. That way, they would’ve had just enough time to call a timeout and attempt a field goal to tie the game if they didn’t score.
Instead, they operated out of the Wildcat formation, and Bell received a direct snap and attempted to run behind left guard David DeCastro. He was stopped, but kept his legs churning and dived for the end zone.
It was close, but the ball crossed the plane of the goal line before Bell’s knee touched the ground, and the Steelers emerged from Qualcomm Stadium victorious with a 24-20 win in thrilling fashion.