First Down, Eh? Hard To Explain This Ref's Mistake

Ben Roethlisberger(notes) attempted a quarterback sneak on 4th and 1 against the Browns late in the second quarter of Sunday's game, and in the jumble of arms, legs and sweaty torsos, it was hard to tell if he got the required distance. The play was close enough to warrant a measurement, and the picture above is a screenshot of that measurement. The guy pulled the big first down stick, the ball wasn't quite there, so no first down, correct? Incorrect, as it turns out. The official, Walt Anderson, looked at what you're seeing above, and he ruled that it was a first down. The Steelers ended up getting a field goal out of it. Odd. I would use a stronger word, but the Steelers were going to beat the Browns, regardless of that first down or the ensuing field goal. It didn't affect the outcome. For whatever it's worth, here was how Anderson explained it, via Tony Grossi at the Cleveland Plain Dealer: Anderson told a pool reporter that the tip of the ball penet...