Brian Daboll's genius coaching tactic went totally unnoticed by ESPN's 'Monday Night Football' broadcast. Screen grab: ESPN

With 2:47 remaining in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ matchup against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, the Giants got called for a five-yard penalty after putting 12 men on the field.

Already laying claim to a 26-18 lead, the flag gave Pittsburgh a first down, seemingly aiding the Steelers’ efforts. ESPN’s Joe Buck called the penalty as such, noting New York’s propensity for eliciting flags on Monday night.

“I mean these penalties — all night,” Buck said. “Mainly against the offense of the Giants. But 12 men in the formation, which adds five [yards].”

But while the Giants certainly appeared undisciplined at times throughout the game in which they were called for 11 penalties, that seemingly wasn’t what happened with this particular penalty.

As noted by Warren Sharp on X, New York head coach Brian Daboll appeared to put 12 men on the field on purpose with the very intent of drawing a flag. With the Steelers facing a second and three prior to the penalty, the Giants found themselves in a scenario in which they could either let Pittsburgh take the clock down to the two-minute warning or call timeouts and risk a first down effectively ending the game.

Instead, New York took football’s version of an intentional foul, resetting the down and distance to first and 10. From there, the Giants stopped three consecutive Steelers rushing attempts while using their timeouts to get the ball back following the two-minute warning — all of which may not have been possible if not for the intentional 12 men on the field penalty that went unnoticed by the Monday Night Football broadcast.

But while Buck and Troy Aikman may not have noticed the intent behind the penalty, Eli Manning immediately drew attention to it on ESPN2’s ManningCast.

“On purpose, right?” the former Giants quarterback said in response to the penalty. “Give them the first down. They got too many yards on first down, so give them the first down there.”

Peyton Manning concurred, adding that the NFL’s rules prevented the Steelers from declining the call.

Daboll’s efforts proved to be for naught, with Giants quarterback Daniel Jones throwing a game-sealing interception on the ensuing drive. Still, Daboll deserves credit for the crafty maneuver, even if he didn’t receive it on Monday Night Football‘s main broadcast.

[Warren Sharp on X]

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.