Watch: Freiermuth TD gets Steelers in position to win or tie

The Pittsburgh Steelers were playing losing football throughout the first half of the Week 4 game of the 2024 NFL regular season against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. The team was being bullied at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Despite an injury to Anthony Richardson, Colts backup QB Joe Flacco was dicing-up the Steelers defense when Jonathan Taylor wasn’t out-grinding them in the run game.

The Steelers came to life, especially after quarterback Justin Fields scored two rushing touchdowns in back-to-back series’. Despite another Colts touchdown, down 27-17, Fields led another 70-yard drive to get the Steelers within three points.

After a 37 yard pass and catch between Fields and George Pickens, Najee Harris ran the ball for a five yard gain. On 2nd & 5 from the Indy 8-yard line, a pass to Pickens was incomplete.

Fields, from shotgun, was able to thread the ball to tight end Pat Freiermuth on the next play. Freiermuth used his body to press forward, wrapped up by three Colts defenders, and extend the ball over the line to the end zone for the touchdown.

https://twitter.com/steelers/status/1840480904017269157

Freiermuth’s first score of the season put Pittsburgh just three points from a tie with Indianapolis. Unfortunately, errors killed the Steelers’ shot to do so when the defense held and gave them back the ball, or even get past mid-field.

The play was reminiscent of the famed/infamous Jesse James catch of a few years ago that was ruled as a non-touchdown. Freiermuth, fortunately, was clearly shown to have broken the plane without his knees touching the ground… but, it was close.

JESSE JAMES CAUGHT IT
IfsBurgh: What would've happened IF the @steelers had gotten that win over the Patriots in Week 15 of 2017?#NEvsPIT @SteelersLive pic.twitter.com/zPGW42Rq2M

— Dave Dameshek (@Dameshek) September 14, 2022