[VIDEO] Steelers Hook And Ladder Play vs. Dolphins Was Illegal Before Antonio Brown Stepped Out Of Bounds

It's the jinx of Mike Tomlin! It's the Steelers sideline curse! It was Steel Curtain karma!

Whatever.

All that nonsense makes for good headlines and story lines - and, I would agree normally - but everyone seems to skip over the fact that Pittsburgh's last second hook and ladder near-miracle comeback would have likely been overturned anyway.

All the professional prognosticators have failed to mention that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's 'lateral' to Antonio Brown was an illegal forward pass and would have negated the play upon further review.

Sorry for the poor quality, but this was the only video I could find on youtube as of this posting:

When he released the ball, Roethlisberger is at about the 32 1/2 or 33 yard line. I couldn't tell you exactly where Brown is when he snatches the ball, but he's passed the 33.  If you stop the video at the 20 second mark, and again at the 21 second mark you can see this was not a lateral.

The story line here should be that despite this ALMOST amazing play, the Miami Dolphins are relevant again and the warm weather fish scored a huge road win in a cold and snowy Pittsburgh.

The fins improved to 7-6 with at least a share of a wildcard spot with three games to play. The Steelers dropped to 5-8, and will need another near-miracle to qualify for the playoffs.