The Pittsburgh Steelers had a tough night against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football in Week 10. However, despite the offense failing to find much success, a controversial no-call in the second half had fans buzzing on social media.
While Chargers defensive back Derwin James Jr. is one of the NFL’s best, a questionable hit during a play on DK Metcalf had many questioning whether the referees missed a blatant illegal contact penalty.
NFL Fans Go Berzerk After Questionable No-Call Involving DK Metcalf
During the second half of a Chargers-Steelers game, Pittsburgh’s offense was driving down the field, attempting to mount a second-half comeback. While they weren’t able to come back in the second half, there was a questionable moment where it seemed like the Steelers’ drive should’ve been extended due to an illegal contact penalty by James on Metcalf.
While Metcalf ran his route, James practically set a basketball-esque screen, making contact with the Steelers’ wideout, causing both to fall to the ground. Reporter Arye Pulli shared the highlight on X, saying, “No flag here on Derwin James. The #Steelers were frustrated with the no-call.”
No flag here on Derwin James. The #Steelers were frustrated with the no-call: pic.twitter.com/Y7aOfIxQsO
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) November 10, 2025
The no-call seemed like an obvious illegal contact, with even the broadcast and rules analyst Gene Steratore having a tough time explaining the missed penalty. Many fans agreed, with this one fan saying, “I actually don’t think I’ve ever seen a worse no-call in my life.”
I actually don’t think I’ve ever seen worse no-call in my life. https://t.co/ouM160sLWY
— FalcDawg (@FDRiseUp) November 10, 2025
Another fan couldn’t believe what they were seeing and expressed what many other fans felt, posting on X, “That’s f****** inexcusable,” given how bad the perceived missed flag seemed to be. This Steelers fan also couldn’t believe what they were seeing, saying, “DK Metcalf just gets cross-checked on a route, and the refs didn’t throw a flag. We’re cooked.”
DK Metcalf just hits cross checked on a route and the refs didn’t throw a flag 😭
We’re cooked
— Johnathon Sandos (@JohnathonSands) November 10, 2025
NFL officiating has been a hot topic of discussion this season, given the inconsistency of calls and some poor overall officiating in 2025. With the issues this season, some fans were quick to question the refs, with one fan saying, “Refs are paid off again.”
Refs are paid off again pic.twitter.com/bB00EW9tQ2
— Scott Dembraski (@SDembraski) November 10, 2025
No matter what happened on that one play, the Steelers were thoroughly outmatched by the Chargers on Sunday Night Football in Week 10. It will be interesting to see how the franchise moves forward after an extremely underwhelming performance on national television.
Coming into Week 10, the Chargers had the 10th-ranked defense in the league based on PFSN’s Defense Impact metric. However, their stellar performance against the Steelers will surely place them higher in the rankings.
