Al Michaels baffled over Steelers' 'bizarro' play call in final minutes of loss to Patriots

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Play-by-play announcer Al Michaels hasn’t shied away from his displeasure of the lackluster performances on "Thursday Night Football" amid mounting criticism over his apparent lack of enthusiasm in the booth, but the Pittsburgh Steelers failed to change his mind during their Week 14 loss to the struggling New England Patriots.

Trailing 21-18 with less than two minutes left to play and a real chance to win or at least tie the game, Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky threw a deep pass to a well-covered Diontae Johnson on fourth-and-2 at midfield. 

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky looks to pass during the game against the New England Patriots at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Thursday. (Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The pass was broken up by Patriots' cornerback Jonathan Jones, and Michaels couldn’t help but express his own confusion over the decision.

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"I don’t understand that call," analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who was in the booth with Michaels, said. 

"No, neither do I. That was bizarro. On a fourth-and-2?"

"It’s really easy to sit up here and second guess calls, but it's such a low-percentage throw," Herbstreit continued. "I mean, it's fourth-and-2, you haven’t thrown to Diontae Johnson all night — are you just trying to get a flag here?"

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"Totally with you, dude. Totally with you," Michaels responded. 

The Steelers nearly managed to claw back from an 18-point deficit, but New England quarterback Bailey Zappe’s three first-half touchdown passes