PITTSBURGH -- Jesse James' overturned touchdown against the Patriots will be hotly debated for days, not only for the "survive the ground" ruling itself but also for the weight a simple call can hold over the trajectory of a franchise.

The call will likely push the Pittsburgh Steelers from the No. 1 to No. 2 seed, which is significant when pressed against the backdrop of last season's 36-17 loss in the AFC title game in New England, likely the Super Bowl path once again.

But the 29-second sequence from the timeout called by the Steelers after JuJu Smith-Schuster's 69-yard catch to Ben Roethlisberger sitting on the Heinz Field grass in disbelief deserves revisiting, because there's so much more involved than a discussion about what is a catch.

Here's how a 27-24 Patriots win almost went about six different ways.

THE FALL

After the ball was snapped with 34 seconds left, Smith-Schuster drew Patriots safety Duron Harmon at the goal line, leaving a soft spot in coverage for James. Roethlisberger surveyed the field and found James, delivering a perfect pass to the tight end's left shoulder. James felt he had possession of the ball as he fell toward the ground, so with the goal line in sight, he tried to stretch.

James: "I thought it was a touchdown, for sure."

Teammates were frantically hugging one another as officials signaled the score. Roethlisberger pointed to the sky while offensive linemen mobbed him.

Even as officials began reviewing the play, CBS announcers Jim Nantz and Tony Romo said on the broadcast that the touchdown would hold. They hadn't seen every camera angle yet.

Smith-Schuster was right behind James as he lunged toward the goal line.

Smith-Schuster: "I feel like he had ball control, he was in. In a game like that, when you go down and you finish the game like that, and then -- boom -- momentum, and the next thing you know [the referee] said he didn't have control of the ball. Nobody touched him."

THE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL

Based on the broadcast, the Steelers appeared to disperse while waiting on the official's ruling. At one point, Roethlisberger was alone and kneeling on the sideline. James was chatting with a Patriots player. Once officials reversed the call, James dropped his head toward his knees.

James: "I had my knee down, turned up the field. Whether they consider that a football move or not is up to them to decide. I guess I don't know a lot of things about football. I thought it was a touchdown for sure."

Patriots safety Devin McCourty: "It's always hard to know when you hit the ground, is it a catch, no catch. When you see it's kind of like his hands weren't under it; obviously I'm a little biased, so I thought it was no catch."

Patriots cornerback Eric Rowe: "Once I saw the replay, I did see the ball move. I wasn't too sure. It could have went either way. I am obviously glad it went our way."

Steelers guard David DeCastro: "I don't know [what a catch is] anymore, I don't. It's tough especially when it's called like that on the field. Tough sport and I understand it's tough for them. Not criticizing them; just saying it's a tough way to lose."

THE SIDELINE

James' overturned touchdown and Roethlisberger's pick were two devastating plays, but what happened in between those plays was just as crucial. As Roethlisberger avoided a blitzing linebacker and threw a short pass to Darrius Heyward-Bey, the sideline and inevitable clock stop appeared within reach.

But cornerback Malcolm Butler's diving stop brought down Heyward-Bey within inches of the sideline, forcing the Steelers to scramble with 22 seconds left.

If Heyward-Bey shakes Butler, the Steelers have a fresh play clock to figure out the best game plan on third down.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick: "[The play] was key. We called a blitz on the play and had a chance to tackle Roethlisberger in the backfield. He got away from us, and I don't think he felt like he had a lot of time to extend the play. Heyward-Bey was kind of open coming across, but Malcolm did a real good job of closing on him and made a strong tackle there, and it was on the sideline so they had to bring it all the way back to spot the ball and so forth. That kind of ate up a little bit more time and kind of caused, yeah, some additional, I'd say, movement, and activity and communication on the fake-spike play."

Roethlisberger looked like he knew exactly what to do.

James: "We were passing the ball. Ben told us [during the review] no matter what happens here, we have to get the ball in the end zone."

THE FAKE

In a span of 13 seconds, Roethlisberger gets the line organized, gives the spike motion with his right hand, sends signals to receivers on his left and right, then takes the snap with 9 seconds on the clock. The quarterback never looked to the sideline but was hearing messages in his headset.

Roethlisberger: "It wasn't a fake spike. I was yelling 'Clock it' because I felt that was the thing to do, to clock it and get yourself one play. And it came from the sideline: 'Don't clock it, don't clock it.' Well, at that time I'm already, everyone thinks it's clocked, you don't have time to get everyone lined up. So I tried."

James: "I knew there was a chance he'd spike it, but I wasn't 100 percent sure. I heard him talking, so I knew there might be a chance he'd do something ... It was third down, so he wanted to give it a rip."

Patriots defensive tackle Deatrich Wise Jr.: "We thought it was going to be a fake spike, so we jammed the line."

Rowe: "I see Matty P. [defensive coordinator Matt Patricia] give the call, and I was like, you know I'm the star. I was like, man, no one is on the outside. I need to go on the outside. Then everybody was in panic mode trying to get lined up, and I see Big Ben fake it, and I was like, oh, they are running a play."

Roethlisberger was about to run that play, and coach Mike Tomlin had no problem with it.

Tomlin: "Play and play to win. That's what we do."

THE PICK

Roethlisberger basically has one option, a streaking Eli Rogers over the middle, which is clogged with at least three Patriots defenders on the right side of the field.

The receivers on the left barely moved, and the best playmaker on the field, running back Le'Veon Bell, was flat-footed in the backfield, about 2 yards behind Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger: "[Eli] kind of ran a quick slant in there. At that time you've just got to make a play, and I didn't make a good-enough throw."

Rogers: "It was just a call where he signaled me something and I ran across the field. [Rowe] just kind of grabbed me and changed how I was going to catch the ball. I thought it was a flag, but it's all good."

Roethlisberger appeared ready to deliver the ball to Rogers early in the route, similar to the game-winning play by Antonio Brown in last season's division-clinching game against the Baltimore Ravens. But Rogers was well-covered.

So Roethlisberger pumped again, then delivered the ball into traffic.

As Rogers reaches the end zone, replays show Rowe slightly hooking Rogers with his right arm before knocking the ball.

Rowe: "I got my eyes on the receiver and noticed he was doing a slant. I didn't really think he was going to throw it because I was right on his hip. I mean, he threw it, and I was like, I need to break this up, boom. I thought they caught it, I was like, oh my god. We came down with it, and I was ecstatic."

Wise: "I realized and saw him pump to throw the ball. I turned around and watched everything happen and came [away] with the win."

James: "It was more of a draw-in-the-dirt football play. It's not something you necessarily practice, but you make it work. We've seen AB make plays on it. Just didn't work today."

Roethlisberger said the order to run a play came from offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who was relaying the call for the "head guy," Tomlin. In that case, the Steelers' strategy appeared clear: Get one play to win, or kick a field goal on fourth down.

Roethlisberger: "Maybe they wanted a field goal. I don't know. So maybe that's on me. We're not going to look back and not second-guess anything or anybody. We lost the game, and I threw a pick in the end zone at the end of the game to lose it."