The Steelers beat the Lions in a thrilling 29-24 game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, but the game took a wild turn as the Steelers’ usually reliable kicker, Chris Boswell, missed an easy field goal that would have put the game out of reach for the Lions.
The Steelers then gave up easy penalties, allowing the Lions to drive down the field and get to the one-yard line. When quarterback Jared Goff threw a perfect pass to receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, it looked like the game was over.
But then a penalty on another Lions receiver, Issac TeSlaa, gave the Steelers hope as it negated the touchdown and moved the Lions back to the 9-yard line. Then Lions center Kingsley Eguakun was called for a false start, putting them around the 15-yard line.
Eventually, on the final play of the game, Goff threw to St. Brown near the goal line, but he was stopped short by Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter Jr.; however, he tossed the ball back to Goff, who reached for the line and scored the touchdown.
But there was a flag on the play – offensive pass interference. St. Brown had pushed off of Ramsey to get open, and because it was an offensive penalty and there was no time left on the clock, the Lions did not get another chance to score.
Though they came out with a huge win on Sunday, a few problems have set back the Steelers and have hurt their media presence.
Players D.K. Metcalf and Yahya Black showed an extreme lack of self-control. Metcalf punched a fan in the stands who was wearing a blue wig, and Black flipped off the Lions’ sideline on camera. Both of these incidents will cost the players thousands of dollars in fines, and Metcalf will likely face further disciplinary action from the league.
Despite these incidents, beating the Lions is still an accomplishment for the Steelers, who were led by the defense for the majority of the game, even though they were playing without T.J. Watt.
Led by Kyle Dugger, the Steelers held the Lions to 10 points all the way through part of the third quarter. Dugger had seven total tackles and one sack. Other players who came up big for the Steelers were Alex Highsmith, Porter, and Patrick Queen. They each had multiple tackles in the game and helped hold the Lions offense in check.
Jack Sawyer made his first start in the game and had an explosive start, tackling Lions running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery behind the line of scrimmage multiple times.
The outside was opened up for Sawyer by Keeanu Benton and Cameron Heyward, who each had a sack in the game, and Benton also had a forced fumble.
However, the Lions picked up their offense once they got their pass game going, as Goff started to get hot when his receiver, Kalif Raymond, was in the game. When Raymond was in the Lions’ pass attack, it was unmatched, and the Steelers’ defense struggled to keep up.
Once the late third quarter hit, both teams became carried by their offense. The Steelers, led by Aaron Rodgers and the running backs, Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, continued to answer the Lions after each score. The game became a shootout.
Rodgers passed for 266 yards on 41 pass attempts and 27 completions. Warren had 14 carries for 143 yards and had two breakout touchdown runs with a long of 45 yards. Gainwell had nine carries for 50 yards, but he also had five receptions for 78 yards and a miraculous touchdown catch.
Gainwell’s touchdown catch was one of the greatest catches ever, as he was pulled to the ground by a Lions defender and made the catch while hitting the floor. He was then able to get up and run the ball into the end zone. On top of this, there were only seconds before the half ended, with him scoring with about two seconds to spare.
The receiving corps saw some diversity as Adam Theilen, Scotty Miller, and Marquez Valdez-Scantling each had a catch on Sunday. This was a result of injuries to Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson. Austin hurt his hamstring during the game, and after his first catch, he quickly left the game.
The surprising win put Pittsburgh’s record at 9-6, The Steelers have built momentum going into their final two games, so they should finish 11-6 on the season with wins over the Browns and Ravens.
