DETROIT – A penalty erased the Detroit Lions’ insane game-winning touchdown on Sunday and all but ensured that this team won’t make the playoffs this season.
READ: Here’s how Detroit Lions can still make playoffs after loss to Steelers
Recommended Videos
The Lions came into the 2025 season saying Super Bowl or bust. Now, it doesn’t even look like they’ll be in the conversation.
Needing a victory in their final home game of the season, Jared Goff and the Lions offense laid a dud for the majority of the game, managing just 10 points through the first three quarters.
The Steelers possessed the ball for over 14 of 15 minutes in the third quarter -- the only Lions offensive drive went for minus-3 yards and a safety.
The Lions’ highest-paid offensive players -- Jared Goff ($53 million per year), Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30 million per year), and Jameson Williams ($26.6 million per year) -- were virtually nonexistent until the fourth quarter, when the offense put together three long drives -- two touchdowns and a third touchdown that was twice called back by penalty.
The Lions scored twice on that final, game-winning drive, but both times it was called back for offensive pass interference. On the final play of the game, Goff hit St. Brown on the 1-yard line, and St. Brown fought to stay up, ultimately pitching the ball back to Goff.
Goff scored, but St. Brown was called for offensive PI after a long discussion by the officials, and the game ended.
Meanwhile, the defense put up a heck of a fight, holding the Steelers to 10 points before that third-quarter safety. Their leader, Aidan Hutchinson, had two sacks. Jack Campbell had 13 tackles and two passes defended.
But they were on the field far too long in the second half, and they finally broke in the fourth, the the Steelers gashing them for back-to-back 45-yard touchdown runs. Still, they held out long enough to give the offense a chance.
Playoff race
Now, the Lions only have one path to the playoffs: If they win their final two games against the Vikings and Bears, and the Packers lose their final two games to the Ravens and Vikings.
That’s very unlikely, and even if it did happen, the Lions would be the No. 7 seed and have to play the entire postseason on the road.
Coming off a 15-2 season in which they had the No. 1 seed in the NFC, there’s no other way to view this year than as an epic failure.