The decision hung in the air like a half-eaten egg salad sandwich sitting in the garbage can in the breakroom at work.

I’m talking about head coach Mike Tomlin’s decision to attempt a fake punt deep in his own territory late in the first quarter of the Steelers Week 10 matchup against the Commanders at Northwest Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Pittsburgh was ahead by a score of 7-0 thanks to a spectacular 16-yard touchdown reception by receiver George Pickens earlier in the game, and whatever tendencies Tomlin and special teams coordinator Danny Smith spotted in preparation for Washington was about to pay off in the form of total control of Sunday’s festivities; it was fourth and 15 from the Steelers 16-yard line, and Miles Killebrew received the snap that everyone in the universe figured was intended for punter Corliss Waitman. Gunner/defensive back James Pierre was racing up the left sidelines and wide-open at around the 30. All he had to do was catch the perfectly thrown pass, and it would have been a first down, a huge gain or even a touchdown. Instead, he dropped the pass (there is usually a reason defensive backs aren’t receivers).

Would the Steelers’ very good defense hold Washington to a field goal? No, because that’s what elite defenses do. Very good defenses often give up touchdowns when they only have 16 yards to defend, and that’s what Pittsburgh’s did when running back Austin Ekeler eventually squirted into the end zone on first and goal from the one.

The game was tied at seven and turned into a dramatic affair. Pittsburgh regained its 14-7 advantage with 10:28 left in the second period before the Commanders scored 17 unanswered points to make it 24-14 early in the second half. The Steelers immediately answered with a touchdown drive of their own, and then Washington extended its lead back to six points on a 41-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez late in the third period.

As the game headed into the final quarter, the stench of Tomlin’s unsuccessful gamble only grew stronger.

You could just hear the dialogue and vitriol that was about to dominate talk radio and social media over the next seven days.

“How could Tomlin be so stupid, so careless?”

“Doesn’t Tomlin owe his team an apology? Doesn’t he owe his boss, Art II, an explanation?”

You may have felt better about things as you watched running back Jaylen Warren fighting for every last inch near the goal line midway through the final period. Unfortunately, the officials must have been as enthralled with Warren’s determination as the rest of us because they didn’t blow the whistle before the football was wrested from his hands and recovered by the home team at the one-yard line.

Tomlin gifted the Commanders seven points in the first quarter and Warren robbed Pittsburgh of seven points in the fourth quarter. That’s what they call a 14-point swing in the world of professional/collegiate football.

This game was going to end, 27-21, them, wasn’t it? The Steelers were going to fall to 6-3, weren’t they?

Thankfully, the Steelers’ very good defense forced a three-and-out, giving the offense another chance at the Washington 46. Quarterback Russell Wilson and the newly-attained Mike Williams did most of the heavy lifting when they connected on a 32-yard touchdown on third and nine to make it 28-27 with just 2:22 remaining in regulation.

However, the stench of the failed fake punt was still wafting through the air. All rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels had to do was get his team into field goal range. If Washington won the game–even after the Wilson-to-Williams hookup–people would point to the first-quarter gamble as the main reason for the loss.

Fortunately, Washington turned the football over on downs by mere inches, and the Steelers had the football at their own 42 with just 1:28 remaining. However, even though the players were celebrating on the sidelines and the black-and-gold-clad fans were twirling their towels in the stands, there was the very real possibility that the Commanders would get one last crack. They still had all three timeouts. Pittsburgh needed at least one first down to secure the victory. The Steelers gained nine yards on their next three downs, while Washington burned all three of its timeouts. Would Tomlin gamble one more time and go for it on fourth and one from the home team’s 49 with 1:02 remaining?

Yes.

At least that’s how it appeared as Wilson barked a quick series of hard counts until rookie defensive lineman Jer’Zhan Newton jumped into the neutral zone, thus committing a five-yard penalty and securing the win for the Steelers.

Were the Steelers really going to go for it? Tomlin wouldn’t comment one way or another after the game, while rookie center Zach Frazier told reporters it was all a hoax.

Nobody will ever know for sure. After all, we are talking about a head coach who called for a fake punt from his own 16 earlier in the game.

All we know for certain is that the Steelers survived their fearlessness and improved to 7-2 on the season.

Housekeeping came through and emptied the breakroom garbage around 4 p.m.

We can now spend the week discussing the fake punt with a smile and not a can of aerosol spray.