But it's time for Goodell to push aside the case of Adam "Pacman" Jones for a while and do something more constructive, such as clean up the mess created by the league's officials.

If he's not already doing it, Goodell needs to launch an investigation into the fiasco that was the San Diego Chargers - Pittsburgh Steelers game Sunday.

While the mainstream media - and especially some of the talking airheads on ESPN - tries to sweep the issue under the rug, the last play of the game demands a closer look and an honest explanation.

Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu is the best defensive player in the league, but for no apparent reason he was robbed of a touchdown after making a great play in a victory over the Chargers.

Polamalu returned a fumble 12 yards for a touchdown as time expired, and anyone who knows the rules was sure the play was legal.

But after a video review, confusion ruled, an official mysteriously stepped in and Polamalu's play was wiped out. Moments later, referee Scott Green said the touchdown was mistakenly taken away from the Steelers, and how that was allowed to happen is beyond belief.

Pittsburgh won 11-10, and put an asterisk next to the score. It should've been 17-10 or - pending a point-after kick that never happened - 18-10.

The result was significant because the Steelers were favored by 4 points, and because Pittsburgh might need the points in a playoff tiebreaker.

What happened was either the most blatant example of incompetent officiating we've seen or the outcome was fixed.

There probably was no conspiracy to screw the Steelers and those who bet on them, but at the same time, no intelligent observer can blindly rule it out. Just last year, we witnessed a real game-fixing scheme by at least one NBA referee, so it's possible it could happen in the NFL.

Pittsburgh was flagged for 13 penalties to San Diego's two - including the one on the final play for an illegal forward pass. The officiating in the game was terrible from start to finish.

The NFL also acknowledged an embarrassing mistake by referee Ed Hochuli in Denver's 39-38 victory over the Chargers on Sept. 14.

The bottom line is the replay system is seriously flawed and the integrity of NFL officiating deserves to be questioned. Goodell should avoid the arrogance shown by NBA commissioner David Stern and provide answers and solutions to angry fans.

Here are five plays for Week 12 (Home team in CAPS):

Chiefs (+3) over Bills: Kansas City is improving and Buffalo is slumping. Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen has eight touchdown passes and one interception in his past four games.

Patriots (+1?) over DOLPHINS: With revenge and postseason hopes as motivation, Matt Cassel can be counted on to lead New England to a win. Patriots coach Bill Belichick is 13-1 against the spread off a loss.

49ers (+10?) over COWBOYS: Tony Romo is not completely healthy and the Dallas offense is not the same high-powered machine it was early in the season. San Francisco is a better team with Shaun Hill at quarterback and Mike Singletary as coach.

SEAHAWKS (+3?) over Redskins: Expect a better showing by Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck, who threw three interceptions in his return last week. Washington is a shaky road favorite.

Colts (+3) over Chargers: San Diego won both meetings last season, but the Chargers' defense is now pitiful against the pass and Peyton Manning is finding his groove.

Last week: 2-3 against the spread

Season: 29-23-3

Review-Journal sportswriter Matt Youmans can be reached at 387-2907 or myoumans@reviewjournal.com