http://www.detroitlions.com/media-center/video/recent-videos.html
Webvideo Highlights, lowlights, and players comments from game.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400951736
Boxscore.
https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2017/10/29/16568902/detroit-lions-pittsburgh-steelers-stock-report
Detroit Lions vs. Pittsburgh Steelers stock report.
The Steelers knocked down the Lions in a closely fought defensive battle.
POD
https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-refocused-pittsburgh-steelers-20-detroit-lions-15
Refocused: Pittsburgh Steelers 20 - Detroit Lions 15.
PFF
https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/PPY3090013530?selected=PPY8919704352
LOCKED ON DETROIT LIONS PODCAST VOLUME 285. OCT 29. 18 minutes.
POST POD #Lions fail the Red Zone Test. Lose 20-15. Dery points fingers.
Quick observations from Lions' loss against Steelers.
Lions: 3rd-most yards (482) without an offensive TD in NFL history.
Inside the Red Zone: 17 plays, 9 yards, 9. Total. Yards.
Breaking down the Red Zone play calls:
17 total plays
12 passing plays
5 rushing plays
12 passing plays
Matthew Stafford: 2-11, 6 yards, 1 sack
5 rushing plays
Dwayne Washington: 4 rushes, 6 yards
Theo Riddick: 1 rush, -2 yards
The defense was great. So were the special teams. The offense, not so much.
That could describe just about any game from the Detroit Lions this season. And even after getting a week to rest, it was more of the same Sunday night in a 20-15 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
They racked up 482 yards of offense against the league's No. 1 defense, and drove into the red zone five times. And five times, they were denied the goal line, the last of which sealed their fate in a game they should have won.
Matthew Stafford is at his best in the fourth quarter, and so is this offense. They operate with such precision with their backs against the wall, and Stafford did his thing again. He found Eric Ebron for a 14-yard pickup on third-and-3 to get the drive started, then again for a 44-yarder that moved Detroit into scoring territory.
But once again, that didn't matter. Theo Riddick lost yardage on a run and Stafford threw a pair of incomplete passes, including one on fourth down that was nowhere close to crossing the goal line. And that was the ballgame.
The Lions actually outgained Pittsburgh 482-392, but were just 2 of 12 on third down, settled for five field goals and were stoned twice inside the 10. That's the third most yards in NFL history by a team that didn't score a touchdown.
Now they've lost three in a row because of it, and four out of five. At 3-4, they're starting to lose contact with the first-place Vikings (6-2). And the challenge gets no easier next week, with a Monday night game at Lambeau Field on deck.
Matt Prater was a Pro Bowler last year. He's making a case to be an All-Pro this year. He nailed all five attempts against Pittsburgh, including a 51-yarder late in the second quarter. That was the 41st time he's converted from 50 yards in his career, moving him past Morten Andersen for fourth most in NFL history. And he needs just one more to match John Kasay for third on the all-time list. Of course, the flip side of your field-goal kicker going 5 for 5 is you settled five times for field goals, and it cost Detroit a win it badly needed.
Jim Caldwell decided to go for a fourth-and-goal with Detroit trailing 13-12, which was stuffed. Later faced with the same scenario, only this time facing a 20-12 deficit, he settled for a field goal. It's hard to figure out why he'd settle for three points when he needed eight to tie up the game, but would go for seven points when he needed only three to take a lead. It just looked like he was coaching scared there in the second half -- then again, who could blame him with this offense? You couldn't rely on them to pick up your laundry, let alone a touchdown in short yardage.
With Taylor Decker, Greg Robinson and Emmett Cleary in street clothes, the Lions began the game with Brian Mihalik (first career start) at left tackle. And once Rick Wagner injured his ankle in the third quarter, they turned to Dan Skipper (first career game) at right tackle. And they did so against the league's No. 2 pass rush. That's a terrible mismatch on paper -- except, the line actually played well. In fact, a couple ill-timed penalties aside, this might have been their best game in protection. Matthew Stafford was sacked just twice, and one of those was a coverage sack. He was hit just twice in the entire first half. This just might have been the offensive line's best performance of the season -- and they did it against one of the league's best fronts.
Glover Quin (concussion) might not have played last week had the Lions played. But he got a well-placed bye to rest, then returned this week for his 123rd straight start -- and in doing so, showed once again why he's one of the finest safeties in the game. He picked off yet another pass, this one on a deep ball intended for Antonio Brown. That's his third of the season and 19th since signing with the Lions in 2013, a league high. He later recovered a fumble, the sixth turnover he's contributed to in seven games. This guy is playing at an All-Pro level right now.
Antonio Brown stepped into Ford Field as the NFL's leading receiver, and added another five catches for 70 yards to his resume. But almost all of that damage came when he moved into the slot. Because whenever he lined up on the outside, whether it was on the left flank or the right, Darius Slay would follow him. And Slay hounded Brown all day, holding him to just one catch for 9 yards in their matchups. Throw in some excellent efforts against the likes of Julio Jones, Odell Beckham and pretty much everyone not named Kelvin Benjamin, and Slay is asserting himself as one of the game's best lock-down corners.
Rookie Jalen Reeves-Maybin played an expanded role at linebacker, and played really well, especially early. He contributed to a tackle on four of his first eight plays, and finished with a team-high five for the game. The fourth-round pick appears to be progressing at a rapid rate, and with fellow rookie Jarrad Davis alongside him, the future looks bright at linebacker.
With Golden Tate playing through a shoulder injury and Kenny Golladay missing another game because of a hamstring injury, the Lions needed a receiver to step up. And two did. Marvin Jones finished with six catches for 128 yards, his best game in more than a calendar year. He's played well in each of his last three games, actually, despite facing the tightest coverage in the NFL coming into Sunday's games. (Seriously, that's a stat.) And then the other Jones, TJ, chipped in four catches for a career-high 88 yards.
Tate made his 55th straight start for the Lions despite that shoulder injury, although he hardly looked like himself. That includes losing a fumble early in the fourth quarter, after making a catch that moved Detroit into Pittsburgh territory while facing a 20-15 deficit. There wasn't even contact, either. He just lost the ball, as he tried to move it between hands. He finished with seven catches for 86 yards, plus the fumble.
Eric Ebron's funk worsened in the first three quarters, when he failed to come up with any of his three targets, including another one in the end zone. And he was booed. Loudly, and repeatedly. But man he came up big late in the fourth quarter, hauling in a 14-yard pass on third-and-3, then sprinting down the left sideline for 44 yards. If he's dealt before Tuesday's deadline -- and that remains very much a possibility -- this was quite the way to go out.
Dwayne Washington had a forgettable return to the field. Playing in his first game since suffering a quad injury in Week 3, he lost his kick returner job on special teams, turned six carries into just 12 yards on offense, and struggled in his role as the power back in the red zone. And then he exited prematurely with yet another injury.
Lions defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson was ejected in the final seconds of the game for throwing a punch.
T.J. Lang returned to the lineup after taking the Saints game off with a back injury. It was the 100th start of his career.
The Lions fell to 2-13 all time against the Steelers.
