Behind the Steel Curtain
In a game where the word “dramatic” hardly does it justice, the Steelers escaped Detroit with a five-point win over the Lions. As always, there are plenty of takeaways to be had.
The Steelers survived on Sunday. Did your blood pressure?
In a back and forth fourth quarter, Pittsburgh had multiple opportunities to put Detroit away, but the Lions kept clawing back to be just a score behind. Then came a supremely memorable final two minutes that left both sides frustrated at the referees in one of the most drawn-out, edge-of-your-seat finishes I’ve ever watched as a football fan.
The Steelers were going to win in a blowout. Then they were going to choke. Then they lost in the most heartbreaking way possible. Wait! Then the Lions lost in the most heartbreaking way possible.
That announcement of “The ruling on the field is a touchdown, however…” is going to go down in Detroit infamy. Ultimately, while the game was peppered with questionable calls for both sides (the state of NFL officiating is rough right now), the referees got close enough to the correct conclusion even if they took a few business days to arrive at it.
It was a fairly clear offensive pass interference on Amon-Ra St. Brown with a two-handed shove, therefore erasing anything that came after it and ending the game. But why was the call on the field ever a touchdown? Forward progress was clearly stopped before the attempted lateral, and any further tackling from Jalen Ramsey would’ve felt like unnecessary roughness.
I truly don’t get worked up about football games much anymore. But that was an agonizing final stretch for fans of either team. It wasn’t exactly great football, either — some sloppy play late with a healthy dose of ref-ball and comically late flags.
And all that was just the final few moments of the game. The first half had some standout points as well, whether it was Kenneth Gainwell making the team’s play of the year or D.K. Metcalf getting into an altercation with a fan. Talk about highs and lows. That game was cardio. But barring something special happening in the playoffs, Sunday’s contest felt like it will be the signature game of the Steelers’ 2025 season — a capsule of the emotional torture and payoff that keeps us tuning back in every week.
In his postgame press conference, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin repeatedly praised his roster for hanging in there and delivering a victory in a game where the winning percentage graph could be a Euthanasia Coaster. As weird and wacky as the game was, it was against a quality opponent in a hostile environment with plenty of gut check moments. Dare I say there were some similarities to playoff football?
And hey, the Ravens lost on Sunday Night Football! Now, the Steelers’ playoff chances are sitting in the 90% range in most models with a number of clinching options next...
