There was confusion after a chaotic final play, but ultimately the Pittsburgh Steelers won their third straight game on Sunday. This one came in wild fashion, on the road against the Detroit Lions, 29-24.
Detroit’s final drive brought it to the Steelers’ 1-yard line but was doomed by two separate offensive pass interference penalties, each one wiping a touchdown off the board. The second one erased a would-be game-winner that featured a lateral from receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to quarterback Jared Goff as time expired. The Steelers had never lost a game under head coach Mike Tomlin when leading by 12 or more points in the fourth quarter; that record moved to 104-0-1 on Sunday, but just barely.
The Steelers’ late-game issues began when Chris Boswell’s 37-yard field-goal attempt with just over two minutes remaining hit the right upright and bounced wide. The Lions, trailing by five, needed to drive 73 yards with 2:05 left and one timeout to work with.
Detroit drove to the Pittsburgh 1, but an offensive pass interference penalty with 22 seconds left erased a touchdown pass from Goff to St. Brown, then a false start made it first-and-goal from the 16. A short pass to Jahmyr Gibbs, followed by their final timeout, set the Lions up on Pittsburgh’s 9-yard line with 16 seconds left and three chances to win it. Goff threw incomplete twice, one slipping out of Isaac TeSlaa’s hands as the receiver fell to the ground on a leaping attempt. On fourth-and-goal, Goff found St. Brown just short of the goal line. St. Brown was pushed back by Pittsburgh defenders before flipping a lateral to Goff, who dove into the end zone. But St. Brown had been flagged for pass interference after pushing off on the Steelers’ Jalen Ramsey early in the play. There was a lengthy delay as officials discussed the ruling; it was determined that St. Brown’s forward progress had not been stopped and Goff had indeed scored off the lateral, but because it was an offensive penalty with no time left on the clock the touchdown was nullified and referee Carl Cheffers declared the game over.
While offensive fireworks stole the show late, defense defined the first half. The teams traded field goals before the Lions scored the game’s first touchdown one play after the two-minute warning, when Goff found TeSlaa for a 20-yard score. During that drive, frustration seemed to be boiling over for at least one member of the Steelers offense: CBS cameras captured wide receiver DK Metcalf swinging at a fan wearing what appeared to be a blue wig during a sideline altercation in the second quarter. (Metcalf was not penalized. He left the locker room before talking with reporters postgame.)
The Steelers tied it 10-10 just before halftime on Kenneth Gainwell’s circus catch down the right sideline. While tumbling to the ground (Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone was flagged for pass interference on the play) the running back kept an Aaron Rodgers pass off the turf with his right forearm, secured it and ran into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown with two seconds left on the clock.
Pittsburgh then took control in the third quarter. That’s despite tight end Darnell Washington losing a fumble inside Detroit’s 5 to end the opening drive of the second half — it was the game’s only turnover. Three plays later, a blitzing Kyle Dugger sacked Goff in the end zone for a safety. Jaylen Warren provided two 45-yard touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, the first giving Pittsburgh a 22-10 lead, the second re-establishing a 12-point lead at 29-17.
Meanwhile, the Steelers kept Goff off-balance throughout the third quarter with a mix of blitzes. Detroit didn’t have a first down in the second half until there were less than 12 minutes to play. Goff finally heated up in the fourth quarter, throwing touchdown passes to Kalif Raymond and Gibbs and finishing with 364 yards and three touchdowns. His final drive, though, came up just short.
This was Rodgers’ first game against Detroit since his final game as a Green Bay Packer. Rodgers had lost his last three starts against Dan Campbell’s Lions, including an upset loss in the 2022 regular-season finale, which cost the Packers a spot in the postseason. He was efficient for a third straight game, finishing 27-for-41 for 266 yards and the touchdown to Gainwell.
This game was far more crucial to the Lions’ playoff hopes than it was to the Steelers’. After Sunday’s loss, Detroit will need season-ending victories in Minnesota on Christmas Day and Chicago in the regular-season finale, plus help in the form of back-to-back losses by the Packers (who host the Ravens in Week 17 and travel to Minnesota for Week 18). According to The Athletic’s Playoff Simulator, the Lions have about a 6 percent chance to make the postseason.
Gainwell delivers miraculous catch and more
Gainwell submitted his entry for catch of the year on Sunday. With just seconds remaining in the first half, Rodgers uncorked a prayer down the right sideline. Anzalone got tangled up with Gainwell and pulled the Steelers’ versatile running back to the ground. Gainwell made the catch anyway, jumped to his feet and scored the game-tying touchdown.
That play set the tone for what was to come, as the Steelers’ running backs led the way. Behind a solid effort from an offensive line missing left guard Isaac Seumalo, the Steelers racked up more than 230 rushing yards; it was by-far their most productive outing of the season on the ground. Warren carried the ball 14 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Gainwell toted the ball nine times for 50 yards and added five catches for 78 yards and a score.
While Gainwell produced his highlight early, Warren came alive late with his pair of 45-yard TD runs. The Steelers needed both of them. — Mike DeFabo, Steelers beat writer
Lions come up short in familiar fashion
The Lions, just as they have too often this season, lost this game in the trenches. The Steelers held Detroit to just 15 rushing yards. The Lions were forced to abandon it, trailing in a game they needed to win. The Steelers, meanwhile, used a variety of quick tosses and end-arounds as change-ups to their downhill rushing attack, paving the way for 230 rushing yards against this Detroit defense. The Lions had no answer for it.
But even considering how lopsided this game was, Detroit had a chance to win it in the final minute. Just a brutal, brutal finish, and perhaps a dagger to Detroit’s playoff hopes. — Colton Pouncy, Lions beat writer
Steelers D smashes run, racks up sacks — and barely closes
The Lions entered Sunday with the NFL’s highest-scoring offense and fifth-most productive rushing attack. For most of Sunday, the Steelers’ defense played one of its best games of the year — until that side of the ball nearly cost Pittsburgh the game.
The Steelers took advantage of a backup center and young guards, generating a lot of pressure from the interior. They sacked Goff three times and limited the Lions’ rushing attack to just 15 yards on 12 carries, a 1.3 per-carry average.
However, with a chance to slam the door shut, the defense was unable to do so. The Lions marched down the field on a 10-play, 74-yard drive and again on a 10-play, 68-yard drive to twice cut Pittsburgh’ lead to 5 points. During that span, safety Chuck Clark dropped at least three potential interceptions.
On the final drive, inside linebacker Patrick Queen made a touchdown-saving tackle on the goal line. Then on fourth-and-9, Ramsey drew an offensive pass interference penalty, as the Steelers narrowly held on. If the Steelers are going to make the playoffs and make some noise in January, they have to be better closing out games. — DeFabo
Detroit hasn’t performed like a playoff team
The Lions are in need of serious help to make the postseason — but quite honestly, this doesn’t look like a playoff team. The Lions have had ample opportunities to prove otherwise over the last month, and they’ve failed to position themselves to make it. This group doesn’t play complementary football, waits too long to pick up the pieces and can’t dictate games on its own terms. If the Packers somehow lose out to the Ravens and Vikings, and the Lions beat the Vikings and Bears, the Lions could still sneak in. But it’s probably time to start talking about what went wrong this season and where this team goes from here. This is looking like a failed season, given the standards of this group. — Pouncy
AFC North is Pittsburgh’s for the taking
The Steelers entered Sunday’s game as a 7.5-underdog in Las Vegas. By upsetting the Lions, Pittsburgh is now in prime position in the AFC North. If Pittsburgh beats Cleveland in Week 17, it would need only for the Ravens to lose one of their next two games (Sunday night against the Patriots or Week 17 in Green Bay) to clinch the division. Considering the Ravens’ Week 17 game is on Saturday, there’s a chance the Steelers will be AFC North champs before they take the field on Sunday, if Baltimore were to lose on Sunday night to New England and Saturday in Green Bay. And even if the Steelers were to be upset by the Browns in Week 17, they’d at least have a chance to win the AFC North with a Week 18 victory over the Ravens. — DeFabo