Death, taxes, and Mike Tomlin-coached teams finishing the season with at least a .500 record.
It took a wild, chaotic finish, but the Steelers held on to beat the Lions 29-24 to get their ninth victory of the season.
The Steelers were up by 12 points twice in the fourth quarter after twin Jaylen Warren 45-yard touchdown runs. But even though the Lions did next to nothing on offense for the third quarter, they were relentless in the fourth until the game’s bizarre final play.
On fourth-and-goal from the 9-yard line, quarterback Jared Goff sent a pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown at the goal line. St. Brown caught it outside of the end zone and was clearly in the grasp of two defenders being driven backward for multiple seconds when he then shook free and lateraled the ball to Goff. The quarterback ran into the end zone for what was, ostensibly, a game-winning score.
But the problem with that was the officials ruled St. Brown had committed offensive pass interference by shoving defensive back Jalen Ramsey as he awaited the pass from Goff. Because the game can end on an offensive penalty and no time was remaining on the clock, it was officially the end of the contest and the Steelers won.
It should be noted, however, that the officials did rule that Goff’s touchdown was good — a questionable call because St. Brown’s progress had not only been stopped, but if the Steelers had done anything more to bring him down, they likely would’ve been flagged for unnecessary roughness.
Either way, the outcome was correct with the Steelers winning.
With his two long runs, Warren finished with 143 yards on 14 carries — leading Pittsburgh to finish with a total of 230 yards on the ground. Kenneth Gainwell had 50 yards on nine carries, plus five catches for 78 yards with a stunning 45-yard touchdown late in the second quarter.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers finished 27-of-41 for 266 yards with a touchdown.
Until the fourth quarter, it was a rough go of it for Goff, who finished 34-of-54 for 364 yards with three touchdowns. He was sacked for a safety midway through the third quarter. The Lions’ first two possessions in the second half resulted in two points for Pittsburgh and -3 yards.
Lions receiver Jameson Williams finished the day with five catches for 70 yards, putting him over 1,000 yards for a second consecutive year.
The Lions barely had any rushing attempts, with David Montgomery finishing with 14 yards on four carries and Jahmyr Gibbs taking seven carries for 2 yards. Gibbs did have 10 receptions for 66 yards with a TD.
Now at 9-6, the Steelers will finish their 19th season under Tomlin with a record of at least .500. Pittsburgh hasn’t had a losing season since 2003, when the club finished 6-10.
The Steelers remain in the driver’s seat for the AFC North title, with games against the Browns and the Ravens on the schedule to end the regular season.
Detroit’s loss puts the club at 8-7 and greatly diminishes the team’s postseason hopes. Both Chicago and San Francisco officially clinched playoff berths with the result. The Lions will finish the season on the road with a Christmas Day matchup against Minnesota, followed by a Week 18 game against the Bears.
