VIDEO: Steelers Turn Into Angry Madden Players on Game-Winning Field Goal Attempts

The Pittsburgh Steelers squandered a 16-point lead to the Los Angeles Chargersin a pivotal game with major AFC playoff seeding implications. The meltdown had a bit of everything (except defense) and culminated with one of the more bizarre final sequences you’ll see.

With the score knotted 30-30 and three seconds remaining, Chargers kicker Michael Badgley lined up for a potential game-winning field goal from 39 yards away. The Heinz Field crowd erupted in joy as he hooked it left.

The only problem? There was a flag on the play. Pittsburgh’s Joe Haden had jumped offside. It would become a theme.

The subsequent 34-yard try was blocked by Artie Burns, who also benefited from an unfair start. Given a third shot at glory, this time from 29 yards, Badgley was able to mercifully free us all from the repeating cycle with a true kick. A kick that only sailed through the uprights because Burns was so far offside that he overshot his dive and the kick went behind him.

It was comical for neutral observers and particularly painful for Steelers fans. Man is not meant to have such repeated optimism dashed in quick succession.

Most of us have never seen actual humans do this before, but the move is a go-to classic for angry gamers who can’t believe they’re about to lose and want to be a jerk about it by intentionally drawing penalty after penalty.

Now we know it doesn’t work in real life either.