ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions are taking a wait-and-see approach to a knee injury suffered by receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in Sunday’s 29-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

St. Brown, who was listed Monday as a non-participant on the team’s estimated practice report, was not known to have an injury as Sunday’s game ended. Lions coach Dan Campbell said he’s unsure if the injury is serious.

“We’ll know more a little bit later. This is just something that just popped up when he came in today, so hopeful this is just some type of irritation from the game,” Campbell said Monday. “That’s what I’m hoping. But I’ll know more tonight.”

St. Brown caught four passes for 54 yards in Detroit’s loss to Pittsburgh and was in the game until the very end. He caught a would-be go-ahead touchdown pass that was nullified by an offensive pass interference penalty on Isaac TeSlaa, then caught a pass on the final play of the game, which he lateraled to Jared Goff for a would-be score as time expired. St. Brown was called for offensive pass interference on his route, and the game ended quickly after officials sorted it out.

St. Brown has tallied 98 catches for 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

Practice report

The Lions provided an estimated practice report on the first day of this week’s practices before Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.

St. Brown, defensive back Avonte Maddox (back) and offensive tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder) were all non-participants.

The Lions had nine players limited: offensive linemen Trystan Colon (wrist), Graham Glasgow (knee), Christian Mahogany (fibula) and Giovanni Manu (knee); defensive linemen Marcus Davenport (shoulder), Alim McNeill (abdomen) and Al-Quadin Muhammad (knee); wide receiver Tom Kennedy (abdomen) and cornerback Amik Robertson (hand).

DETROIT — Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard stood at the podium last Thursday and, for the umpteenth time this season, tried to distort reality.

The question was about how the Los Angeles Rams’ rushing offense ran buck wild on the Lions in a loss on Dec. 14. And, as he’s done at many points throughout this disappointing campaign, Sheppard pointed out that the Lions’ overall performance wouldn’t have been that bad if you take out all of the biggest plays that went against them.

“You can’t play this game of taking plays away, but nobody — and I can stand on the table behind this — nobody has just lined up and ran the ball down our throats,” Sheppard said.

Then, with the league’s 28th-ranked rushing offense, the Pittsburgh Steelers ran the ball down the Lions’ throats in Sunday’s 29-24 loss. It was the Steelers’ most rushing yards (230) since 2016 and the most allowed by the Lions since 2022. In the home finale. With the season on the line.

The Lions (8-7) are now on the verge of being eliminated from playoff contention with two games remaining — one Detroit loss or one Green Bay Packers win will officially end it. But whether they make the postseason does not change the notion that failure to confront reality has been the one ugly wart on this team’s face all season, and the primary reason why it’s fair to doubt the strength of the culture that has built this team.

After three and four seasons with coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, respectively, this year was always going to present its challenges. But after failing to keep the ship aimed in the right direction, this upcoming offseason feels even more critical.

Lions coach Dan Campbell opted to go with guys he trusted during a critical offseason, hiring an in-house, first-time defensive coordinator in Sheppard and hiring a second-time offensive coordinator in John Morton. Morton had his play-calling duties stripped in Week 10, and Sheppard’s defense has been one of the league’s worst over the last month.

Morton passed the buck amid struggles, while Sheppard downplayed concerns about his unit until they eventually became so glaring that it forced the Lions to drive right off the road.

In a long line of concerning trends that have emerged over the last year, chief among them is the coaching staff’s willingness to make excuses or bend reality to make things seem different from what they truly are, and it started in Week 1. In Sheppard’s opening statement after the Green Bay game, he said that if you took out a 48-yard completion and a 17-yard touchdown pass on back-to-back plays, the Lions’ performance was actually quite good.

“I’m not a math major but I believe that’s 65 yards. You take that off of (185), you’re looking at 120 yards passing on the day,” Sheppard said.

And in that specific context, maybe he wasn’t entirely wrong. The Lions’ defense held running back Josh Jacobs to 3.5 yards per carry, an impressive mark, and kept quarterback Jordan Love under 200 passing yards. But as the Lions’ defense started to show genuinely concerning trends down the stretch, this messaging never wavered.

Sheppard will tell you he won’t make excuses. He’ll tell you things are being addressed. But he’ll also, with a high degree of regularity, tell you that the biggest concerns stemming from a game are overblown, and that the stats make the performance look worse than it actually was. And now, over the last five games, the Lions are allowing 458.6 yards per game. For context, the Cincinnati Bengals have allowed the most yards per game this season at 402.8.

There’s no way to contort this one: Over the most important stretch of the season, the Lions’ defense has been the worst in the league.

And sure, they’ve got injuries. The team didn’t have All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph (knee) for more than half the season, just lost Pro Bowl safety Brian Branch (Achilles) and cornerback Terrion Arnold (shoulder) for the year, and cornerback D.J. Reed hasn’t looked the same since coming back from his hamstring injury.

As the Lions withstood countless defensive injuries en route to a 15-2 record last season, it was easy to understand why. They didn’t make excuses. If anything, it was a mere extension of the gritty mentality that had come to define the Lions’ identity under Campbell. They seemed to thrive on finding a way.

But outside of Levi Onwuzurike and Josh Paschal, neither of whom suited up this season, this front seven is completely healthy. There is absolutely no way to square how a defense with this much talent has so consistently come up short in the biggest moments.

Inherited issue

Now, if I can momentarily come to Sheppard’s defense: This is a defense that he inherited, and over the four years that Glenn was in charge, there were very few stretches where the Lions’ defense actually looked much better than what we’ve seen from this year’s unit. Sheppard is running the scheme Campbell wants him to, which Glenn ran before him, with the players already in place before Sheppard was promoted this past offseason.

I’ll actually tip my cap to Sheppard for being a little more flexible than Glenn on a week-to-week level. With their passing defense in shambles, Sheppard called zone coverage on a season-high 82.2% of passing plays. It just didn’t produce a winning level of defense. And really, Sheppard is just one of many culprits; the flavor of the week after a bold proclamation blew up in his face.

Campbell hasn’t made excuses for the team’s play, but his blind optimism that everything would work itself out, that all of the adversity they faced in the back half of the season would only prepare them for a Super Bowl run, that he could hire a longtime coach with very little actual play-calling experience and continue operating the best offense in the league, hurt his team.

I see the vision, even in hindsight, with Morton. If all had gone well, they would’ve had a play-calling offensive coordinator for potentially years to come. I can buy the argument that it’s a better option than continuing to develop new, young play-callers who will inevitably leave for better opportunities.

But it ultimately blew up in Detroit’s face. Morton couldn’t hack it, and by Week 10, when he’d lost his play-calling duties, he’d pointed the finger more times than one can count. Over and over, Morton would say everything with the scheme was fine; players simply needed to win their one-on-ones.

Here’s the third sentence of Morton’s opening statement after Week 1, when the Lions sputtered their way to six points before a miraculous one-handed touchdown catch by Isaac TeSlaa tightened the score in a 27-13 loss: “The bottom line is, this is about execution and the details of everything.”

Three questions in, he was asked if there’s anything that can be done to help attention to detail for an offensive line with two first-time starters and a 33-year-old center who was changing positions for the third straight season.

“Look, we’re running plays that these guys have done,” Morton said at the time. “Now, there’s some new guys in there, but the bottom line is, you’ve got to go execute and we didn’t do that every single play. We just didn’t.”

Following a shocking 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings — which, if won, would have put the Lions just a half-game out of the playoffs in the present day — he was asked what the worst part was of watching the Minnesota film.

Jahmyr Gibbs was dominated in pass protection down-in, down-out, by the Vikings’ “cross-dog blitz,” as the Vikings’ front seven made life hell for the Lions’ offense that also couldn’t get the run game going. Gibbs was held to 25 rushing yards on nine carries.

Here’s Morton on the run game: “I mean we had things for it, we had chances. Again, I’m going back, ‘Oh, one guy didn’t do that. Nope, we didn’t get it and it could’ve been big.’ I mean you guys watch the game and when you watch it in detail and everything, ‘Man, if he would’ve got that. Oh, if we would’ve done this.’ That’s the biggest thing.

“We had a good scheme.”

I’m in the camp that Campbell’s play-calling helped the offense, even as they’ve continued to put up subpar rushing performances in the second half of the season, but it’s clear he didn’t have the structure in place to handle the game-management aspects of his job.

Against the Rams last week, Campbell wasted one of his challenges on a 1-yard difference in ball placement on a play where L.A. had blown past the first-down marker. Not only was he not allowed to challenge the play, costing him one of his two challenges and a timeout, but even if it had been a challengeable play, I can’t wrap my head around why he’d take such a risk for a measly yard.

These little missteps have occurred on a seemingly weekly basis, and you can point to several of them as major inflection points in losses.

Against Pittsburgh on Sunday, the Lions were forced to burn one of their second-half timeouts when they only had 10 players on the field before a fourth-and-2. That timeout would’ve come in handy on the final drive, when the Lions were operating with just one timeout while trying to punch in the go-ahead score.

In a pivotal Thanksgiving clash with Green Bay, the Lions had 10 players on the field before Green Bay’s first third-down attempt of the game, as they were gashed for an explosive run. Then, later in that contest, the Lions’ defense was flagged in the red zone for having 12 players on the field.

Ultimately, Campbell is the captain of this ship and is responsible for the lack of attention to detail on both sides of the ball. And the Lions’ attention to detail has plainly been terrible.

Not enough contributors

Lastly, we have Lions general manager Brad Holmes. With Arnold’s season-ending injury, the Lions are getting zero offensive or defensive contributions from any 2024 draft pick besides left guard Christian Mahogany, who was the offensive line’s lowest-graded run and pass blocker, per PFF, in his return to action on Sunday.

Of the 21 players drafted since 2023, seven of them are giving the team regular offensive or defensive contributions. Four of those players are rookies, and one of those rookies is Miles Frazier, who’s a reserve player in a unique guard rotation.

Sure, injuries heavily impact these numbers. But I can’t help but notice that for a guy who preaches depth, Holmes has no problem giving up bites at the apple to get his guys. Now, as the Lions suddenly have long-term concerns at multiple positions, the Lions are short a third-round pick after trading three of them to move up for TeSlaa, and have gotten extremely little from their most recent classes.

The Packers have also dealt with injuries to players from recent draft classes, including their own third-year tight end, Tucker Kraft, who’s been lost for the season with an ACL. But they drafted 24 players in 2023 and 2024 alone, and as some have fallen by the wayside due to injury, plenty more have stepped up. Outside of the injuries, Green Bay is getting regular contributions from more than a dozen players from those classes alone.

Culture crumbling

It should be noted that everything the Lions achieved in 2023 and 2024 was because of Campbell and Holmes. Yet, the culture they’ve built seems to be falling apart at the seams as the Lions’ season goes with it.

The occasional early playoff exit is certainly understandable, if not expected. This is a league built on parity. But a completely lost season in which most of your best players are in the prime of their careers is a legitimate travesty when you consider how talented this roster is.

Again, the Lions could very well shock the world and make the playoffs. But the simple fact of the matter is that they have a .400 winning percentage over their last 10 games. Every move they’ve made has been to become a sustainable contender, but somewhere in that pursuit, they forgot to be a contender in the here and now.

And yeah, you could talk about the injuries, or the calls that have gone against Detroit in its losses, or the tough schedule and division, but those would be excuses.

Right now, the Lions — from the top down — need a heavy dose of honesty and reflection.

DETROIT — A season-altering loss by the Detroit Lions ended in controversy.

The Lions appeared to score a go-ahead touchdown twice in the final 25 seconds of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers but saw both scores nullified by offensive pass interference penalties, including one on fourth down as time expired that featured a lateral to Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

Detroit’s furious comeback attempt, which twice saw them close the deficit in a two-score game, came up just short in a 29-24 loss. With 25 seconds left in the game, Goff rolled right and completed an easy touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was deemed by officials to have gotten open because of a pick run by wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa.

“The reporting official on that play told me that the offending player picked one of the defenders, creating an opportunity for the offensive player to make the catch,” referee Carl Cheffers said in a PFWA pool report.

Goff called the offensive pass interference penalty on TeSlaa “a bad call.”

“The one where Saint caught it and we thought it was a touchdown, that’s, in my opinion, a bad call,” Goff said. “But listen, man. [The officials] have a tough job and they make calls that go our way all the time, but that one in particular, [TeSlaa] should not hang his head about.”

Then, on fourth-and-goal from the 9 with 8 seconds left, Goff completed a pass to St. Brown, who pitched the ball to Goff right before going to the ground. Goff then leaped into the end zone for a score, but a penalty flag unceremoniously ended the party.

After several minutes of conversation, officials said that the call on the field was a touchdown, but it was nullified by a penalty for offensive pass interference. Since time had expired, the Lions did not have the opportunity to run another play, thus ending the game — and potentially, the season.

“The official who called the foul said that the receiver created separation that gave him an advantage in catching the pass. So, he called pass interference,” Cheffers said. Asked why the on-field conversation took so long, Cheffers added, “It was a pretty complex play.”

“We had the original player who had the ball, lose possession of the ball. So, we had to decide if that was a fumble or a backwards pass because of course we have restrictions on the recovery of a fumble inside of two minutes,” Cheffers said. “We ruled that it was a backward pass, so the recovering player was able to advance it and that recovering player advanced it for a touchdown. We had to rule on that and then because of the offensive pass interference, it negates the touchdown.

“Because it is an offensive foul, we do not extend the half. Therefore, there is no score and there is no replay of the down. That’s the way the rule is written.”

St. Brown, several other Lions players, and head coach Dan Campbell all said that the game came down to more than one or two plays.

“I don’t even want to get into it, because it’s not gonna change anything. We still lost,” Campbell said.

St. brown added, “The call, it is what it is. Those are the rules, can’t change them. It never comes down to one play. It’s never just because of that play. There was plenty of plays throughout that game that we could’ve made. We had calls go our way, too, throughout that last drive, so it goes both ways. We just have to execute better. We have a job to do, the refs have a job to do. We’ve just got to do better.”

Regarding the way Detroit lost, Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker said, “Ultimately, yeah, it sucks.”

“There’s no sugarcoating it,” Decker said. “We had so many opportunities earlier in the game. Games come down to two-minute drives in the league, but we put ourselves in that position. We did not play well enough, but we still had a chance to win. That’s the frustrating thing, is that we put ourselves in that position and it didn’t have to be that way.”

As St. Brown pointed out, the Lions benefitted from a fourth-down defensive pass interference call against the Steelers earlier in the drive.

“I think we had a PI on them. Jamo did, going down that drive. We got a call, they got a call. If we don’t get that PI on Jamo, that drive is over. So, some might say that,” St. Brown said. “At the end of the day, like I said, the refs have a job to do and they’re trying their best to do it. We have a job to do out there as players and go make plays. Like I said, we didn’t make enough plays today.”

Still, the shock in Detroit’s locker room was clear. Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who had two sacks, said that he’s “never seen two offensive [pass interference calls] to lose a game like that.”

“I don’t know. I’m sure there will be a discussion between the NFL (about) this game to validate or deny the calls,” Hutchinson continued. “It sucks cause there’s no changing it. I can bitch here all I want about the call, but the fact is, it’s the result.”

The Lions had several paths to the playoffs entering Sunday, but following their loss to Pittsburgh, they now have just one: Detroit needs to win its last two games at Minnesota and Chicago and have Green Bay lose its last two games against Baltimore and Minnesota.

Takeaways from disastrous defensive effort that sinks Lions in 29-24 loss to Steelers

 

Last-play TD nullified; loss to Steelers puts staggering Lions on thinnest ice for making playoffs

 

Photo gallery from Lions hosting the Steelers at Ford Field

 

Lions grades: Must-win game against Steelers was lost in the trenches

DETROIT — Two weeks ago, the Detroit Lions controlled their own destiny to the postseason.

After a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15, they needed some help.

Now? Their playoff odds are all but dashed.

The Lions (8-7) were upset by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, a devastating result in a season that begin with Super Bowl aspirations. Technically, Detroit is still in the hunt. But it’ll need to win its next two games — at the Minnesota Vikings (Week 17) and Chicago Bears (Week 18) — and the Green Packers will have to drop their final two contests, at home versus the Baltimore Ravens (Week 17) and on the road at the Vikings (Week 18).

Numbers vary depending on the service you use, but The Athletic’s 2025 NFL Playoff Simulator gives the Lions a 6% chance to secure one of the NFC’s top seven seeds. That number rises to 24% if Detroit wins its next two outings. The Lions are mathematically eliminated from winning the division.

“I don’t know what all of this is or isn’t. I know we’ve got two left, and I just want to see us finish,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said of the Lions’ diminishing odds. “I just want to finish, (play) our style of football with two to go, man. Try to play four straight quarters of good football. Clean football. Efficient football. That’s what I want to do.”

The Lions haven’t won consecutive games since Weeks 4 and 5, when they topped the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively. They were 4-1 after five weeks, but bounced back and forth between wins and losses since then before dropping their second straight on Sunday. It’s the first time in more than three years the Lions have lost two contests in a row within the same season.

In 2024, the only question about the Lions was whether they’d secure the conference’s No. 1 overall seed. In 2023, it was whether they’d win the division. This is territory the team hasn’t been in since 2022.

“We haven’t had that feeling,” quarterback Jared Goff said, when asked how it feels to be on the outside looking in and having to rely on other teams for help. “It’s creeping in on us now. We’ve got to find a way. I think it goes back to what Dan’s message was: Are we who we say we are type of thing? … Are we still going to be what we say we are and show up to work and do the whole thing on a short week?”

Asked to further explain Campbell’s message, Goff said the Lions are going to, “Find out who we are character-wise. Find out what we are made of. We know the percentages and whatnot. We know we are not eliminated, but we need some things to go our way. Find out who we are, see if we can win these last two, and see if we can get in.

“I know we will be dangerous if we can. That’s just the hard part.”

Takeaways from disastrous defensive effort that sinks Lions in 29-24 loss to Steelers

Photo gallery from Lions hosting the Steelers at Ford Field

Last-play TD nullified; loss to Steelers puts staggering Lions on thinnest ice for making playoffs

Lions grades: Must-win game against Steelers was lost in the trenches

DETROIT — Richard Silva grades the Detroit Lions in their 29-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Quarterback

Jared Goff was clearly uncomfortable behind some shoddy protection, being pressured on more than 40% of his dropbacks. The QB didn’t throw an interception, but four times he put the ball in harm’s way, and four times he got away with it. Goff finished with 34 completions on 54 pass attempts for 364 yards and three touchdowns. He wasn’t a difference-maker, nor was he the chief problem in a loss that neutralizes almost any remaining hope for a playoff spot. Grade: C+

Running backs

The offensive line bears the brunt of the responsibility for Detroit’s poor rushing offense, but you still would’ve liked to see more from Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery; the duo combined for 16 yards on 11 carries, good for an average of 1.5 yards. Remove a 17-yard rush by Montgomery in the first quarter, and the Lions, as a team, managed minus-2 yards the rest of the way. The only noise from Gibbs came through the air, as he caught 10 passes for 66 yards, including one 13-yard gain in which he used a nifty spin move to shake linebacker Patrick Queen, and a 4-yard touchdown with about four minutes remaining to give the Lions a chance late. Grade: D

Wide receivers/tight ends

Amon-Ra St. Brown made two critical mistakes, dropping a potential explosive gain over the middle before committing offensive pass interference on the game’s final play, negating what would’ve been a miraculous touchdown off a lateral to Goff. Four plays before St. Brown’s infraction, rookie Isaac TeSlaa also committed OPI, though this one was less obvious. Jameson Williams (70 yards) did solid work to lead the Lions, and TeSlaa scored his fifth career touchdown, hauling in a catch between two defenders. Kalif Raymond got into the end zone, as well. Tight ends Anthony Firkser (40 yards) and Shane Zylstra (20) had mild contributions, but it was better than what the Lions were getting from the position previously. Grade: B-

Offensive line

Graham Glasgow’s absence was most felt on Detroit’s first possession of the second half, when Michael Niese, filling in for a briefly injured Kingsley Eguakun, sent a low snap to Goff, who was then sacked for a safety by Kyle Dugger. Goff was sacked three times, and Christian Mahogany, in his first game back from a broken bone in his left leg, appeared responsible for two of them. More troubling for the offensive line was its inability to block for Gibbs and Montgomery; through their first three drives, the Lions had only one successful rush. Unblocked defenders on the backside of the play were a consistent problem. Grade: F

Defensive line

Aidan Hutchinson had a multi-sack performance for the first time since Week 4, but the Lions were gashed on the ground by Pittsburgh’s rushing attack, allowing running backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell to combine for 193 yards on 23 tries. Two 45-yard scores were the result of poor pursuit lanes at the second and third level of the defense, but Detroit’s front (mainly on the edge) could do little to slow the Steelers. Grade: F

Linebackers

On Pittsburgh’s first 45-yard rushing touchdown (both were by Warren), Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes were cleared out of the way, and Jack Campbell, despite his best efforts to avoid his block, couldn’t get an angle on the running back. Anzalone was in coverage against Kenneth Gainwell on a play right before halftime that resulted in an improbable touchdown; Gainwell fought through defensive pass interference to score with two seconds remaining in the second quarter, tying the game at 10. Campbell recovered a fumble and was credited with at least four stops, according to live tracking data from Pro Football Focus, as well as two pass deflections. Grade: F

Secondary

Credit to Thomas Harper for forcing a fumble on enormous tight end Darnell Washington, but he struggled as a run defender, missing a tackle and appearing to crash down too hard on at least one of Warren’s touchdowns. The Lions weren’t devastated with explosive passing plays like they have been in recent weeks (apart from D.K. Metcalf beating Rock Ya-Sin for 20 yards on first-and-long), but Rodgers dinked and dunked the Steelers down the field, and he was efficient when it mattered most. The Steelers went 8-for-16 on third down, and each of those conversions came via a pass. That’s despite Pittsburgh’s average distance on those third downs being more than 7.3 yards. The secondary simply didn’t hold up on money downs. Grade: D

Special teams

The Lions were relatively unimpressive in the return game, starting three drives inside their own 30-yard line following a kickoff return, including one possession that began at the 14-yard line. The Steelers weren’t prolific in their returns, either, so it balanced out. Raymond had one solid punt return (13 yards) and kicker Jake Bates made his only field goal, knocking through an attempt from 36 yards out. Grade: C+

Coaching

Dan Campbell won a challenge in the third quarter, overturning Harper’s forced fumble that was initially ruled down by contact. The playcalling on offense felt less than ideal and at times predictable (a couple screens on third long stick out), but much of that had to do with Detroit’s struggles along the offensive line. As left tackle Taylor Decker said: “It gets to the point where, if you’re not getting positive yards on first or second down, what do you want the coordinator to do? What do you want Dan to do, as far as calling plays?” Defensively, coordinator Kelvin Sheppard pushed back this week on the idea that his unit was beaten soundly on the ground in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15. There’s absolutely no doubting it this time around. The Steelers averaged 8.5 yards on 27 rushes. Grade: F

Takeaways from disastrous defensive effort that sinks Lions in 29-24 loss to Steelers

 

Last-play TD nullified; loss to Steelers puts staggering Lions on thinnest ice for making playoffs

 

Photo gallery from Lions hosting the Steelers at Ford Field

Can the Lions still make the playoffs after loss to Steelers?

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions’ season isn’t all the way dead just yet.

But following a 29-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field on Sunday, the Lions’ only remaining path to the playoffs is a massive long shot: Detroit (8-7) would have to win its last two games against the Vikings and Bears, and Green Bay needs to lose its final two games against the Ravens and Vikings.

The Lions’ offense was an unmitigated disaster in the biggest game of the season, and the Lions’ defense couldn’t get a stop when the team needed it most. Detroit was gashed on the ground for 8.5 yards per carry and gave up three touchdowns of exactly 45 yards, including two 45-yard runs by Steelers running back Jaylen Warren.

The Steelers (9-6) tried to let the Lions back in it, as kicker Chris Boswell missed a 37-yard field goal in a 29-24 game to give Detroit the ball with 2:05 remaining.

Detroit marched down the field and reached the 1-yard line on a completion to Isaac TeSlaa, but multiple penalties backed Detroit up to first-and-goal from the 16.

On fourth-and-goal from the 9, with the season on the line, St. Brown caught a pass and lateraled it to Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who leaped into the end zone with no time on the clock. The pass interference call nullified the touchdown and ended the game.

Detroit’s old bogeyman, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, looked nothing like his former self, but he made every play that was required to win the game. That’s certainly more than can be said for Goff, who never looked comfortable playing behind first-time starting center Kingsley Eguakun and returning left guard Christian Mahogany.

Running back Jahmyr Gibbs was held to 2 yards on seven carries and David Montgomery had 14 yards on four carries. The passing game wasn’t much better; Goff was sacked three times and had little time to throw, even when he managed to stay upright, with most of his 364 passing yards coming in the game’s final quarter.

Making matters even uglier was the fact that Pittsburgh was without two of its top sack-getters, T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig.

Excluding a one-play drive to end the first half, four of the Lions’ possessions ended in a three-and-out, including their first two drives of the second half. Detroit’s offense held the ball for just 51 seconds during a tumultuous third quarter.

The Lions fell behind two scores, 22-10, on Warren’s first 45-yard touchdown run with 12:23 left in the game. Detroit responded with a 27-yard touchdown by Kalif Raymond that brought the game to within a score, but a few moments later, the Steelers put together a drive that was emblematic of the collapse by Kelvin Sheppard’s defense down the stretch.

After an illegal block pushed the Steelers to first-and-20 to start Detroit’s most important defensive series of the season, Rodgers immediately hit a 20-yard completion to DK Metcalf. One play after that, Warren ran wild again for a 45-yard score.

Detroit again got within a score, using a 4-yard receiving touchdown by Gibbs to make it 29-24 with 4:11 remaining. But on the very first play of Pittsburgh’s next possession, they picked up two first downs in as many plays, including a 20-yard end-around to tight end Jonnu Smith on the first play of the series.

After the Lions went three-and-out on their opening possession, Pittsburgh took the game’s first lead with 9:21 left in the first quarter as Boswell nailed a 59-yard field-goal attempt to put the Steelers up 3-0.

Detroit nearly took a lead with 2:07 left in the first quarter. The Lions gambled on fourth-and-goal from the 3, but Goff’s throw to St. Brown was broken up at the goal line, resulting in a turnover on downs.

The Lions got on the board and tied the game with 10:10 remaining in the second quarter. A promising drive was derailed by atrocious run blocking, as Alex Highsmith picked up his second tackle-for-loss when stopping Montgomery in Steelers territory. Detroit couldn’t recover and settled for a 36-yard field goal from Jake Bates to make it 3-3.

After both offenses were stuck in the mud for much of the first half, both teams scored their first touchdown in the final 1:55 of the second quarter.

Photo gallery from Lions hosting the Steelers at Ford Field

Isaac TeSlaa made a sensational effort to hang on to a pass through contact for his fifth touchdown of the season, a 20-yarder that put Detroit up 10-3.

But the Steelers answered right back on a drive in which they converted third downs of 10, 11 and 10 yards before Kenneth Gainwell made a miraculous catch while falling down to tie the game with 0:02 left in the second quarter. Gainwell, with Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone draped all over him, made the catch while laying on his side, got up, and ran the ball into the end zone for the score.

The Lions’ defense had a momentum-swinging play to begin the second half as Anzalone and safety Thomas Harper stripped Steelers tight end Darnell Washington at the 4-yard line. Washington was initially ruled down on the play, but after Lions coach Dan Campbell challenged the call, officials deemed that the ball came out and was clearly recovered by Lions linebacker Jack Campbell.

Takeaways from disastrous defensive effort that sinks Lions in 29-24 loss to Steelers

Only three plays later, however, Michael Niese — in for Eguakun — delivered a low snap to Goff, who Steelers safety Kyle Dugger immediately sacked for a safety that yielded the Steelers a 12-10 lead with 9:42 remaining in the third quarter.

On the ensuing possession, the Steelers traveled 64 yards in 17 plays while bleeding 9:44 off the clock, adding a 23-yard field goal from Boswell to go up 15-10 with 14:58 left in the game. The Lions held the ball for just 51 seconds during the third quarter.

Warren bought some insurance for the Steelers with a 45-yard rushing touchdown to go up by two scores with 12:23 left in the game, which came in handy when the Lions converted on fourth-and-2 with a 27-yard passing touchdown to Raymond that made it 22-17 with 8:39 left in the game.

The Detroit Lions faced an old foe at Ford Field in a must-win Week 16 NFL contest.

Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers made many weekends miserable for supporters, back when he ruled the NFC North playing for the Green Bay Packers.

Now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers does not have the same caliber of weapons, but has led the AFC North squad to eight victories, prior to another crucial matchup against the Lions.

“I think, look, there’s a lot of short passing, ball out type of throws,” Dan Campbell said in a pregame interview with Dan Miller. “He’s been really efficient that way. But I know this, he’s finding the open receivers, he’s progressing fast and he’s not taking any hits, I can tell you that.”

Detroit has been essentially forced into playoff mode right now, as Campbell’s squad is still on the outside looking in of the NFC playoff race.

The offense and defense did not have anywhere close to their best performances in a critical game for Detroit’s playoff hopes.

After 60 minutes of hard-fought action, the Lions could not overcome a poor run defense and a third-quarter that was dominated by the Steelers, even though there were exciting, heart-pounding moments.

Detroit was called for a late pass-interference, on the brink of a game-winning touchdown.

Here are several takeaways from the Lions’ 29-24 loss:

 

Lions veteran tight end sparks offense, but no points scored in first quarter

Detroit went three-and-out on its first offensive drive, after the Steelers won the opening coin toss and elected to defer.

Pittsburgh got on the board first on its first offensive possession. Aidan Hutchinson derailed the drive when he was able to sack Rodgers for a nine-yard loss. Kicker Chris Boswell connected on a 59-yard field goal to give the Steelers an early 3-0 lead.

On Detroit’s next offensive possession, tight end Anthony Firkser, who has had multiple stints in Motown, was targeted often. Jared Goff was able to connect with the 30-year-old on three tosses for 34 yards.

Near the goal line, Campbell again elected not to kick the field goal, opting to go for it on fourth down.

Unfortunately, Detroit was not able to convert on a fourth-and-goal play-action call, as cornerback Joey Porter Jr. broke up the pass play intended for Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Lions’ run game struggles early

Detroit, like many NFL teams, want to establish the run on a weekly basis.

Coming into the game, Campbell’s squad was 8-1 when recording at least 100 yards on the ground. Early in the game, Detroit struggled to establish the run.

On multiple occasions, Steelers’ defenders found their way into the backfield to disrupt run plays.

Steelers linebacker Jack Sawyer and Alex Highsmith were able to disrupt Detroit’s rushing attack, making life difficult for Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.

Detroit tied the game on their third offensive possession. Jake Bates connected on a 36-yard field-goal to cap off an eight-play, 44-yard drive.

Goff went 10-of-14 for 104 yards through the middle of the second quarter and three possessions. Jameson Williams was able to record a couple of receptions early in the second quarter.

Tempo aids Lions’ offense to get into gear

Late in the second quarter, Detroit’s offense got into rhythm by boosting the tempo. On Detroit’s fifth offensive possession, Goff found Isaac TesLaa, Gibbs and Williams to move the football down the field.

Detroit was finally able to get into the end zone just after the two-minute warning, as the veteran signal-caller connected with TeSlaa on a 20-yard touchdown reception.

The scoring drive spanned six-plays and 62 yards and took just over two mins to take a 10-3 lead.

Pittsburgh had one final possession prior to the end of the first half.

Steelers tie game on fluky play

For most of the first-half, defense dominated the day. Both teams struggled to put together consistent drives, with the score being knotted at three points with two minutes to play in the second quarter.

Aidan Hutchinson was his usual dominant self, recording two sacks in the first half. However, the touchdown drive by the Lions ignited an offensive spark late in the second quarter.

Detroit appeared to have the Steelers bottled up, but Rodgers kept the drive alive with a 13-yard completion to Adam Thielen to convert a third-and-10. Two plays later, the Steelers scored a touchdown on what was a nearly indescribable and improbable play connection between Rodgers and Kenneth Gainwell.

Rodgers appeared to underthrow Gainwell, and the running back somehow found a way to corral the pass while going to the ground. He was not touched down by contact after controlling the pass, and as a result raced into the end zone.

Thomas Harper halts Steelers’ momentum to start second half

Detroit’s defense struggled coming out of halftime, allowing the Steelers to both run and pass the football effectively.

Thielan, Metcalf and Jaylen Warrren were all instrumental in assisting the Steelers move the football.

Rodgers led the team deep into Detroit territory when safety Thomas Harper made a momentum-changing play.

Harper knocked the football loose from Washington’s possession and the football was recovered by linebacker Jack Campbell.

After Detroit challenged, the officials ruled the football was knocked loose prior to Washington hitting the turf.

Last-play TD nullified; loss to Steelers puts staggering Lions on thinnest ice for making playoffs

Steelers sack Goff for a rare safety, eat up clock in third quarter

Unfortunately for Detroit, their next drive after the fumble recovery started on their own 3-yard line.

Goff tossed the ball out of bounds, which was then followed by short toss to Gibbs. On 3rd-and-8 from their own five-yard line, the 31-year-old was sacked in his own end zone by Steelers safety Kyle Dugger.

After the safety, the Steelers took a 12-10 lead and marched down the field on the ensuing possession.

In the third-quarter, Detroit only ran three offensive plays, as the Steelers ate up the clock on a drive that lasted 17-plays and ate up nearly 10 minutes.

Detroit trailed 15-10 when they next had an opportunity on offense early in the fourth-quarter.

Photo gallery from Lions hosting the Steelers at Ford Field

Lions’ defense was a disaster in second half

After Warren extended the Steelers’ lead to 22-10 on a 45-yard touchdown scamper, Detroit was able to respond with a solid offensive drive of its own.

Goff spread the football evenly and was even able to successfully convert a critical fourth down.

Veteran Kalif Raymond was targeted often, including on a 4th-and-2 call, trailing by 12.

Raymond was targeted and scampered 27 yards after the reception to trim the Steelers’ lead to five, 22-17.

Unfortunately, Detroit’s defense, needing a stop when trailing by five, gave up another 45-yard touchdown scamper to Warren.

Gibbs found the end zone in the fourth quarter to trim the Steelers lead to 29-24, giving the defense one more opportunity to make a stop.

The Steelers missed a 37-yard field goal that would have made it 32-24.

This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions

Continuing to cling to playoff hopes by their fingertips, the Lions knew they needed to win out to cash in on any of those hopes. Instead, they were run over by the visiting Steelers in Sunday’s game, losing 29-24 when they couldn’t cash in on a scoring opportunity in the waning seconds.

Takeaways from disastrous defensive effort that sinks Lions in 29-24 loss to Steelers

Last-play TD nullified; loss to Steelers puts staggering Lions on thinnest ice for making playoffs

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ALLEN PARK — Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell on Friday delivered some discouraging news regarding All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph.

Joseph (knee), who has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, was a limited participant at practice on Wednesday before being a non-participant the following day. Campbell said Joseph suffered a “setback.”

When asked if Joseph could be a candidate for injured reserve, Campbell said: “Could be. I mean, could be. We’re at the backend of the season now. Anything, even if it’s not technically long term, becomes long term because we don’t have many games left.”

“It bothers him,” Campbell said of Joseph’s knee. “That’s the best way to say it.”

Joseph hasn’t played since the Lions visited the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 12.

Despite both starting safeties dealing with significant injuries — Brian Branch recently had surgery to repair his Achilles — Campbell said he’s not worried about the position because, “I really do trust the guys that are going back there for us, I do, man. What you lose in a couple areas, you may gain in other areas having some of these guys back there.”

Does Campbell have any long-term concerns about the NFL’s best safety tandem?

“I can’t get to next year right now,” Campbell said. “I’m not even thinking about next year right now. My focus is, right now, L.A. and then beyond. Once we get through this one, then we’re onto the next one.”

More injury updates

S Thomas Harper (brain): Harper suffered a concussion in the first quarter of Detroit’s game against the Dallas Cowboys last Thursday. Campbell entered the week unsure if Harper could clear concussion protocol prior to the Rams game, but he was optimistic Friday.

“Harper will be out there at practice today, so feel pretty good about him. We’ll see,” Campbell said. “I can’t give you definitives right now, but that’s kind of where we’re at. Look, (Erick) Hallett’s been taking reps, (Daniel Thomas) has been taking reps, (Avonte) Maddox’s been taking reps. We’ve got plenty of guys, and they’re getting valuable reps. So, we’re good.”

OT Taylor Decker (shoulder): Decker missed his third consecutive practice Friday, as he continues to manage a nagging shoulder injury. He’s questionable for Sunday, as are Harper (concussion), offensive linemen Kayode Awosika (foot) and Christian Mahogany (fibula), running back Sione Vaki (thumb), wide receiver Kalif Raymond (ankle) and tight end Shane Zylstra (knee).

ALLEN PARK — It should come as no surprise that one of the toughest and most determined players in recent Detroit Lions history is playing the best football of his career as he nears 38 years old.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, now in his 17th NFL season, might even earn his first MVP.

But his former team, the 8-5 Lions, will try to crater his case this Sunday at SoFi Stadium in a matchup that now feels all too familiar after recent playoff and opening-night run-ins, both in Detroit — and both Detroit victories.

These two sides have each proved their point. The Rams won a Super Bowl with Stafford, and the Lions beat L.A. when it mattered on that cold, cold night in January 2024, exercising several generations of demons in the process. Then they won another to open the 2024 season for good measure.

For all of the simmering emotions that’ll exist in this game — from Stafford, from Rams coach Sean McVay, from Lions quarterback Jared Goff — the reality is this rivalry is being increasingly defined by two great teams being in each other’s way of a Super Bowl year after year.

“We played them in that playoff game, was such a big deal. The next year, played them again and that felt like even less,” Goff said this week. “So now it’s even further removed, and —  yeah, they’re a really good team and we’ll have our hands full.”

This one matters a lot; a loss wouldn’t devastate Detroit’s playoff hopes, but a win to reach 9-5 would springboard the odds. The Rams, meanwhile, are currently the NFC’s No. 1 seed and would like to stay in that spot.

And yet, even strictly in those contexts, it’s still Goff and Stafford in the center of the ring.

No looking back

Stafford’s status entering the season was up in the air. He was dealing with a herniated disc in his back that was treated with an epidural. At age 37, there was plenty of speculation whether Stafford had already played his last game.

Fast forward four months, and Stafford has not only been completely healthy this season; he’s been one of the best players in all of football. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he’s just starting to enter his prime.

Stafford’s 35 touchdown passes lead the next closest (Goff and Dak Prescott, 26) by a whopping nine touchdowns. He also leads the league in passer rating (113.1). His 258.0 yards per game are fourth; and he’s thrown just four interceptions.

“He’s playing as good as anybody at the position right now, that’s the bottom line,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said.

The further we get away from the trade that altered both franchises’ trajectories, the less these now-yearly matchups are centered around it. It’s now been nearly five full years since the Lions traded Stafford to the Rams in exchange for Goff, two first-rounders and a third-round pick.

Goff, now in his fifth season with Detroit, has played more games as a Lion (78) than he did as a Ram (69). He’s long been ready to move past the trade and the emotions that came with it, especially since he and the Lions expelled their trauma in the playoff win against L.A.

And Stafford, for all of the jaw-dropping statistics he put up during his time with the Lions, has now achieved most of the crowning achievements of his career — plus all of the playoff success — with the Rams.

“I feel that way,” Stafford said this week, asked if the Lions have become just another team. “When I flip the (Lions’) tape on, I don’t think about all the guys that I used to play with because hardly any of them are still playing on the team. The biggest thing for me is watching them play, and they jump off the tape. They’re fast. They’re physical. They’re well-coached. … It’s another really good, complete football team.”

Goff, meanwhile, has held up his own end of the bargain. He led the Lions to two of their best seasons during the Super Bowl era in 2023 and 2024.

This year, he’s survived the loss of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the retirement of All-Pro center Frank Ragnow, plus a midseason play-caller change. Goff is tied for second in completion rate (70.1%) and touchdowns (26), and fifth in yards per game (256.5).

“He’s a true professional. … He’s seen a lot of ball. He doesn’t blink. He doesn’t blink,” Lions offensive coordinator John Morton said. “I mean, there’s times where he’s getting his butt kicked, he just gets right back up. That’s one of his strengths; he’s mentally tough. And his preparation is the key to our success.”

When the two teams meet in Inglewood, Calif., this Sunday, the game will likely be defined by which quarterback has a better day at the office.

Goff climbs the charts

When Stafford was drafted No. 1 overall by the Lions in 2009, the decision wasn’t as cut and dry as history would have you believe. Stafford certainly doesn’t forget that a strong contingent of the Lions’ fanbase wanted the team to instead draft linebacker Aaron Curry out of Wake Forest.

“I remember about 50% of the fans in Detroit not wanting me to go there,” Stafford said this week.

It all worked out for Detroit: Curry wound up going three picks later to the New York Jets at No. 4, and played just four seasons before retiring to begin his coaching career in 2013.

Stafford smashed the Lions’ franchise records for passing yards (45,109) and touchdowns (282). But the team never figured itself out around him, resulting in just four winning seasons over 12 years. The Lions were 0-3 in playoff games started by Stafford.

Off in the distance, a challenger is beginning to emerge for the most productive quarterback in franchise history. Goff, 31, is second in both passing yards (20,221) and touchdowns (141) with plenty of football ahead of him. And while he still has a long way to go to match those ridiculous numbers, the fact of the matter is that Goff has already accomplished more in a Lions uniform, from a team perspective, than Stafford ever did.

This Sunday at SoFi Stadium, legacies aren’t on the line, like they were back in the 2023 Wild Card round. Whichever team loses will still have a chance to make the playoffs and reach or win the Super Bowl. The personal feelings have subsided as years have gone by.

But make no mistake about it: the Goff and Stafford trade is still at the center of every game these two teams will play.

“I know it feels like a win for us,” Campbell said, nearly five years later. “I’m sure they do, too.”

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You don’t have to pinch yourselves, Detroit Lions fans, this is real: Frank Ragnow is coming out of retirement, a source confirmed to The Detroit News on Wednesday.

Ragnow, a multi-time All-Pro, first announced his retirement in June, citing health reasons. The former first-round pick and standout in the middle of Detroit’s vaunted offensive line has endured a number of injuries throughout his career, including a fractured throat and, as recently as the 2024 season, a partially torn pectoral muscle.

But those ailments were seemingly not enough to keep Ragnow away from the game for long. His reinsertion into the lineup gives new hope for the Lions’ offensive line, which, at best, has been up and down through the first three months of the 2025 season.

Quarterback Jared Goff has been sacked 23 times (12th-most in the NFL), and Detroit has rushed for fewer than 100 yards in each of its four losses. The Lions were held to under 75 rushing yards against the Green Bay Packers (Week 1), Minnesota Vikings (Week 9) and Philadelphia Eagles (Week 11).

Without Ragnow, the Lions turned to veteran Graham Glasgow, moving him from guard to center. At guard, the Lions initially leaned on second-year pro Christian Mahogany and rookie Tate Ratledge, but Mahogany broke a bone in his leg earlier this month and his since been replaced by Kayode Awosika. Mahogany could return in late December, Lions coach Dan Campbell has estimated.

To call Ragnow’s un-retirement a surprise would be an understatement. Asked on Nov. 4 about Ragnow, Lions coach Dan Campbell said the “ship has sailed” on him coming back: “Here’s what I know about Frank: If Frank really wanted to (play), he would be blowing my phone up, and I haven’t gotten a text yet,” Campbell said in an interview on 97.1 The Ticket’s “Costa & Jansen with Heather” show. “So, I think Frank is feeling good about his decision. Look, they just had another baby, so happy for them.”

“This is awesome for the Lions, can’t wait to watch Frank back out there doing his thing!” former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce said on social media.

Ragnow has appeared in and started 96 games in his career, with all but 16 of those games coming at center; he played left guard his rookie year. Ragnow is a four-time Pro Bowler and was a second-team All-Pro in 2020, 2023 and 2024. The Lions used the 20th overall pick in 2018 to draft Ragnow, who spent four seasons at Arkansas and was a two-time All-American.

As is standard when a player comes out of retirement, Ragnow’s preexisting contract will be in effect, according to ESPN. When he retired, he two years remaining on a four-year, $54 million extension signed in 2021.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

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DETROIT — The Detroit Lions won’t have much time to enjoy their thrilling overtime victory against the New York Giants Sunday, and perhaps that’s a good thing.

For all the memorable moments that it provided, the majority of the Lions’ performance was forgettable — a shocking unraveling for most of four quarters before Jahmyr Gibbs stitched it all back together with two big-time touchdown runs in the fourth quarter and overtime.

The Giants played Detroit like they have most contenders they’ve faced this season: With a general fearlessness that keeps them in it until the very end. In their prior two games, they took both Green Bay and Chicago to the wire, with both Lions’ divisional foes needing a late touchdown to win; the Packers scored their winning touchdown with 4:02 to go, and the Bears took their lead with 1:47 remaining.

All of this is to say that the Giants were no easy out, despite being the first team eliminated from the playoffs with Sunday’s loss.

And while that’s not going to make any nervous Lions fan feel better about the road ahead, what ultimately matters most is that they added to their win column instead of the loss column. The 8-seed Lions (7-4) are still on the outside looking in of the playoff picture after Sunday’s events, and a loss would have put them in a hole that could have been tough to climb out of, especially given what’s on the docket.

Detroit’s next six opponents have a combined record of 39-25-2, tied with Chicago for the third-most difficult remaining schedule in the league, per Tankathon. (Green Bay, for what it’s worth, is first.)

All of the Lions’ remaining opponents except Minnesota, which beat the Lions in Week 9, are .500 or above.

Week 13: vs. Green Bay (7-3-1)

Week 14: vs. Dallas (5-5-1)

Week 15: at Los Angeles Rams (9-2)

Week 16: vs. Pittsburgh (6-5)

Week 17: at Minnesota (4-7)

Week 18: at Chicago (8-3)

Under normal circumstances, the Lions likely would have to find three more wins in this six-game span just to get into the playoffs, but even that might not be enough: The 49ers (7-4) are currently in the 7 seed. It might take 11 wins (and a 4-2 record down the stretch for Detroit) to find a way in if they can’t track down Chicago for the division lead.

The silver lining is the Lions can quickly climb the standings by beating the teams ahead of them. These next three games are critically important. They can jump Green Bay in the North with a win Thursday. A win over Dallas the following week would go a long way toward shoving the Cowboys out of the playoff picture while adding an NFC win. And if they can win those two and find a way to beat Los Angeles, well, we’d have to think Detroit is the favorite to win the NFC North.

Of course, it won’t be that simple. Green Bay stuffed Detroit in a locker in Week 1, and the Packers’ front is still a major mismatch for a Lions offensive line that has since lost a starter. Dallas has a potent offense and has shown a propensity for shutting down the run since making some trade-deadline acquisitions. And the Rams have established themselves as the best team in football through 12 weeks.

When I look at the back half of this schedule, I’m really not sure what to expect. They could go 5-1 or 2-4, and neither would truly surprise me.

On the one hand: The pass protection is still an inconsistent mess; the pass rush has barely gotten home in the last three weeks; the secondary has been extremely volatile at times; and the Lions, one of the league’s worst third-down teams (25th), have lost one of their best money-down options, tight end Sam LaPorta, indefinitely.

On the other hand: The Lions have the best lineman-running back-receiver trios in the league in Penei Sewell, Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown; their defensive front has been playing lights-out against the run; they’re expected to continue getting defensive starters back; and they still have the pedigree of a team that’s used to winning the division.

Everything is on the table — positive and negative — for these final six weeks.

Audio glitch

Had Jake Bates missed the last-minute kick that tied the game, there would be one major topic of conversation today that’s instead being glossed over.

After quarterback Jared Goff moved the chains with a 9-yard completion to St. Brown, he spiked the ball at Detroit’s 47-yard line to stop the clock with 1:12 left in the game. The team huddled, but with the play clock winding down, the Lions ended up using their third and final timeout anyway.

Why?

Lions coach Dan Campbell said there was an issue with the headset, and he couldn’t get the play to Goff after the spike. The broadcast cameras showed Campbell immediately talking into the headset after the spike, but as the clock wound down to under 10 seconds, the team remained in the huddle.

“I don’t know what happened with that, to be honest with you,” Campbell said. “I just knew I couldn’t get to him. So, I don’t know if something happened, I don’t know. The procedure of what goes on for me, from me to him. Yeah, it was just one of those oddball, weird deals, where thank God it didn’t cost us.”

Goff’s on-field actions — he approached the ref and pointed to his headset after the timeout was called — seemed to confirm that was the case, and the Lions immediately overcame it by hitting Gibbs for an 11-yard pass that went for a first down, helping move Detroit into field-goal range for Bates.

And there is, of course, an argument to be made that one decision begot the other: Because the Lions spiked the ball on first down, they couldn’t afford to run a dud play on second down, and therefore needed to use the timeout to avoid cratering the last-gasp possession.

But it probably still shouldn’t have happened. Campbell has talked at length about how Goff knows the offense as well as he does, and how he can get them into the right play when things go wonky. Yet, that didn’t occur in a moment of utmost importance.

And while it might be asking too much of Goff to just take over the huddle at a moment’s notice and call a play, it’s not like it was the first time a headset has gone down during an NFL game. There needs to be a contingency plan for moments like those, because it could have cost them dearly.

Comeback kids

In last week’s “Final Drive,” one of the things I bemoaned about this Lions team was that they haven’t played well from behind all season. In each of their four losses, they fell behind in the first half and never regained a lead at any point in the second half.

The Lions threatened to extend that streak Sunday, falling behind 17-7 in the second quarter and not regaining the lead until overtime.

But for the first time all season, they prevailed. And yes, it was against a crappy opponent, but when they fell behind against the Eagles, for example, it was hard to foresee a comeback; they just hadn’t done it. Now, they have.

That goes further in the locker room than one might think.

“You never know what these (types of wins) can do. Sometimes, it’s just important to remind yourself what we’re all capable of, even when the chips are down and things get hard,” Campbell said. “You don’t ever forget how to dig in one more time and find a way to lean on each other and do your job. And anytime you can get a win like this, it’s a good thing. It’s a good thing.

“Because that very easily a number of times could have gone the other way, and we all know it. But it didn’t, it didn’t. we made the plays we had to make.”

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions trailed by 10. The opposing third-string quarterback had just scored a 33-yard receiving touchdown. It felt like the season — let alone the game — was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

And then Jahmyr Gibbs happened.

With 11:01 left in the fourth quarter Sunday, Gibbs took a handoff from quarterback Jared Goff, hurdled over some feet near the line of scrimmage, and broke three tackles before winning a race to the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown run that kept the game — and maybe the season — from spiraling out of control.

After the Lions got a stop near their own goal line to get the ball back down 27-24 with 2:54 remaining, he made a handful of big receptions to move the chains, keeping the Lions afloat just long enough for Jake Bates to deliver a 59-yard field goal that tied the game, 27-27, with 28 seconds remaining.

In overtime, Gibbs took the opening handoff for a 69-yard touchdown, helping the Lions seal a 34-27 comeback victory over the New York Giants at Ford Field after the defense shut the door with a fourth-down sack on Jameis Winston on the ensuing possession.

For the second time in three weeks, Gibbs set a career high in rushing yards (219) on just 15 carries (14.6 yards per attempt), and scored three total touchdowns with 45 receiving yards. Gibbs’ 264 yards from scrimmage are the most for a running back in Lions history.

Gibbs also pulled the Lions out of a funk in the first half, too. His first big carry also went for 49 yards, with the Lions trailing 17-7 in the late stages of the second quarter. After getting Detroit to the 3-yard line, Gibbs caught a pass in the flat for his first score of the afternoon.

While he can’t solve all of the Lions’ offensive problems, he sure does appear to be Mr. Fix-It right now. The offensive line’s woes haven’t seemed to matter when he’s had the ball in his hands in recent weeks.

And on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field, it saved the Lions from being in a mighty uncomfortable spot heading into Thursday’s pivotal NFC North showdown with the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving.

The Giants ambushed Detroit on their opening drive. After Aidan Hutchinson was flagged for being offside on a failed third-and-7, the Giants hit a double pass to Wan’Dale Robinson for a 39-yard touchdown. The defense bit on an outside toss play, leaving Robinson running free through the Lions’ secondary as Winston got the ball back and chucked it deep.

Winston kept the Lions on their heels all game. While he only completed 50% of his passes, it seemed like every one of his completions was an explosive one, and rarely did he miss in a gotta-have-it situation. He finished 18-for-36 for 366 yards with two passing touchdowns and one receiving.

The Giants, which finished with 517 yards of offense, added to their lead on the final play of the first quarter, reaching the red zone after a trio of completions to Robinson (12 yards, 40, 15), the last of which was aided by a personal foul call on Brian Branch that set New York up with first-and-goal at the 8. The Lions’ defense stood tall to limit the Giants to a field goal and a 10-0 lead.

Detroit finally got on the board with 11:41 left in the second quarter. After dropping a critical pass on the previous drive, Amon-Ra St. Brown ripped off a gain of 18 yards and then drew a defensive pass interference call — the first on a Lions’ opponent all season — in the end zone to get it to first-and-goal at the 1.

After an intentional grounding penalty on Jared Goff made it third-and-goal from the 11, St. Brown overcame some poor blocking on a wide receiver screen to barrel his way into the end zone, cutting the deficit to 10-7.

St. Brown had two big drops, including one that was collected by a defender for an interception, but got off the mat following a quiet night in Philadelphia by hauling in nine catches for 149 yards and a touchdown. Goff was 28-for-42 passing for 279 yards and a touchdown.

But after his touchdown, the Giants wasted no time in extending the lead to 10 once again. Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. broke out for a 42-yard gain on the opening play of New York’s ensuing possession, and with the Lions hoping to get off the field on third-and-8 later in the series, Winston fired a touchdown pass to Isaiah Hodgins in the back of the end zone for a 17-7 lead.

Photo gallery from the Lions’ overtime win over the Giants

After both offenses had a failed drive, the Lions took over with 4:10 left in the second quarter, down 10. And then the Gibbs Show arrived.

He ripped off a 49-yard run to get Detroit to the 3-yard line of New York, then caught a pass in the flat for his first touchdown of the afternoon, cutting the Giants’ lead to 17-14.

The Giants used another explosive catch by Robinson to reach Lions territory and add a 44-yard field goal by Younghoe Koo with 38 seconds left in the half.

But a pair of big-time plays by veteran receiver Kalif Raymond helped the Lions erase the points added. He returned the kickoff 44 yards, his longest kick return of the season, and then caught a 30-yard pass, leading to a 37-yard field goal from Bates to make it 20-17.

Takeaways as the Detroit Lions avoid upset, defeat New York Giants in overtime

The Lions’ offense finally got rolling toward the end of the third quarter after a quiet start to the half. A couple of big catches by St. Brown got Detroit into the red zone, but a third-down throw from Goff bounced off St. Brown’s hands and was intercepted by Giants safety Jevón Holland, erasing the opportunity for a game-tying field goal on fourth down.

The Giants used the momentum to add insult to injury. After marching right back downfield, the Giants scored on a 33-yard reverse pass from wide receiver Gunner Olszewski to Winston, taking a 27-17 lead.

Gibbs motored the Lions back into the contest, breaking free on a 49-yard rushing touchdown in which he broke three tackles to bring the Lions within a field goal, 27-24, with 10:50 to go in the game.

The Detroit Lions kicked off a three-game stretch in the next 11 days with a home matchup against the New York Giants.

Even though the Giants were dealing with their own issues, Dan Campbell’s squad was seeking to get back on track, following a tough loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, especially on offense.

“Listen, this is step number one in getting back in the win column,” Campbell said in a pregame interview with Dan Miller. “We’ve got them at home, our crowd, our place. Just take it one game at a time, and take each play one at a time. Give it your full attention, and let’s get back to playing winning football.”

While many expected the game to be a blowout, it remained competitive all throughout the four quarters of action.

The Giants had a chance to ice the game late, but a failed fourth-down try in the red zone gave the Lions an opportunity to march down the field to tie the game.

After 60 minutes, the game was tied, 27-27, when Jake Bates drilled a 59-yard field goal, sending the game to overtime.

Here are several takeaways from the Lions’ 34-27 victory, which improved their record to 7-4.

 

Giants give Lions taste of their own medicine

The Lions and their aggressive head coach have become synonymous with trick plays over the years.

After winning the opening coin toss and deferring, Kelvin Sheppard’s defensive unit took the field first. The Giants, with really nothing to lose in the Week 12 contest, were willing to try a trick play of their own.

After an explosive 23-yard reception by wideout Darius Slayton and a couple of rushing attempts, the Giants caught the Lions’ defense and successfully ran a trick play of their own at Ford Field.

Running back Devin Singleton tossed the football back to quarterback Jameis Winston, who was then able to find Wan’Dale Robinson wide open for a 39-yard touchdown reception.

The Giants quickly took an early 7-0 lead on a four-play drive that spanned 70 yards.

Again in the fourth quarter, the Giants dialed up a trick play that extended their lead to 27-17. Wideout Gunner Olszewski tossed the football to Winston for a 33-yard highlight score.

Defense allows too many explosives

Making his second start of the season, Winston looked far too comfortable at times against a Lions’ defense that has had success pressuring passers throughout the year. In addition to his touchdown to Robinson on the first drive, Winston had multiple other explosive passes throughout the first half.

Winston and Robinson connected for a 40-yard gain on the Giants’ third possession, then again for 15 yards that would turn into an even bigger gain thanks to a helmet-to-helmet hit by Brian Branch. The Lions’ safety could face a fine for this for a second straight week.

After the Lions cut New York’s lead to 10-7, Winston rolled out and hit a wide open Tyrone Tracy for a 42-yard catch and run. On the play, cornerback Amik Robertson ran with the vertical route and the flat was completely vacated, leading to Tracy having plenty of running room.

Winston would throw his second touchdown pass of the game to Isaiah Hodgins in the second quarter. He finished the first half completing 9-of-14 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns.

Safety Thomas Harper was able to intercept Winston in the fourth-quarter, but Detroit’s offense was not able to take advantage, as the Giants defense clamped down and forced a Jack Fox punt.

Lions’ offense picks up pace in second quarter

After falling behind 10-0, the Lions’ offense was able to get on the scoreboard early in the second quarter.

To start the game, Detroit’s offense punted on their first two possessions. On Detroit’s second possession, Amon-Ra St. Brown had another drop and causing supporters at Ford Field to get quite restless.

Detroit’s offensive line had some early struggles with the Giants defensive line.

Tight end Brock Wright, who is now tasked with leading the unit after Sam Laporta injured his back, kicked off the team’s third drive with a 20-yard reception.

St. Brown was also able to draw a rare defensive pass interference call on Detroit’s first scoring drive.

The former fourth-round pick capped off the seven-play, 65-yard drive with an 11-yard reception, cutting the Giants lead to 10-7.

Jahmyr Gibbs breaks free, rescues Lions in overtime win vs. Giants

After drop, Amon-Ra St. Brown gives offense needed boost

Following an uncharacteristic drop in the fist half, the talented wideout found his groove, especially in second half.

St. Brown was able to recover from the mishap to be the key playmaker on offense, along with Gibbs.

Trailing 20-17 midway through the third-quarter, St. Brown gave the offensive a boost with a 30-yard reception that took the Lions from their own 10-yard Lions to the 40-yard line.

On the brink of taking a lead or at least tying the game, Goff’s pass to St. Brown went off his hands and into the arms of safety Jevon Holland, halting the offensive momentum Detroit had gained in the third-quarter.

Goff, who was pressured all afternoon, led his team on a 13-play, 53-yard drive late in the game, leading to Bates most crucial kick of the season.

Photo gallery from the Lions’ overtime win over the Giants

Gibbs takes advantage of poor Giants rush defense

Trailing early in the fourth-quarter by 10, Detroit again struck quickly. It only took three plays for the Lions to trim the lead to 27-24.

Gibbs exploded for a 49-yard touchdown rush that gave Detroit’s offense momentum.

Campbell continues to lean on the speedy running back, as he continued to earn more carries than David Montgomery.

Jahmyr Gibbs again sparked the offense, as a 49-yard scamper was integral in a three-play drive that cut the Giants lead to 17-4. Gibbs caught a short three-yard toss to cap off the quick scoring drive late in the second-quarter.

In overtime, the former first-round pick took a Goff handoff and scampered 69-yards to give Detroit the lead in the extra period.

The former Alabama Crimson Tide running back secured 219 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 15 carries. He also added 11 receptions for 45 yards and a receiving touchdown.

This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions

The Lions needed overtime — and a career day from Jahmyr Gibbs — to get past the cellar-dwelling New York Giants, 34-27, on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025.

Here are the sights from Ford Field:

Jahmyr Gibbs breaks free, rescues Lions in overtime win vs. Giants

Takeaways as the Detroit Lions avoid upset, defeat New York Giants in overtime