DETROIT — When Kenny Gainwell caught a 45-yard pass with 2 seconds left in the first half Sunday, it gave the Steelers an improbable touchdown against the Detroit Lions.
It turned out, however, to be the second-most unusual finish to a half in the Steelers’ visit to Ford Field.
The Steelers’ 29-24 victory Sunday wasn’t finalized until a last-gasp touchdown catch-and-lateral by the Lions was overturned because of a pass interference call, sealing a win that propelled the visitors to a third consecutive victory.
Confusion about the outcome lasted for several moments while officials huddled to sort out what had transpired on the last play when Lions quarterback Jared Goff took a lateral from Amon-Ra St. Brown and ran into the end zone with no time left on the clock.
Although officials ruled the play a touchdown, they also called St. Brown for pass interference, ending the game. The decision stunned the crowd at Ford Field, particularly after the scoreboard initially read Lions 30, Steelers 29.
“It took me about two minutes for me to figure out if we won or not,” said running back Jaylen Warren, who scored on a pair of 45-yard runs in the fourth quarter. “People on our side were celebrating, so I was celebrating with them.”
The Steelers take a 9-6 record into their game next Sunday at Cleveland. They remain in control of the AFC North with a two-game advantage over second-place Baltimore, which lost to New England on Sunday night.
Befitting a trip to the Motor City, the Steelers revved up their engines beginning with Gainwell’s touchdown late in the first half, and they didn’t let up until they had raced to a controversial conclusion, nearly running out of gas at the end. They scored 19 unanswered points before the Lions (8-7) mounted a furious comeback in the final nine minutes.
With 0:08 on the clock, St. Brown caught Goff’s fourth-down pass in front of the goal line and lateraled the ball back to the quarterback, and Goff went into the end zone. Many Steelers defensive players had stopped after hearing the whistle that signaled the pass interference call on St. Brown.
“When I heard OPI, and that was pretty evident, and we stopped (St. Brown) short of the goal line, I figured it would sort itself out,” coach Mike Tomlin said.
The Lions were disheartened by the ruling.
“I don’t even want to get into it because it’s not going to change anything,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “We still lost. It’s — I mean look, you think you score, you don’t score, and then you think you’re going to have another play.”
A game cannot end on a defensive penalty, but that’s not the case if an offensive penalty is called.
“I knew there was a penalty,” Goff said. “I was hoping it was defensive, and then we either have another play, or if Saint was down — when I saw he wasn’t down, hoping it’s defensive and we get the touchdown and win the game.”
Warren finished with a career-high 143 yards rushing on just 14 attempts. Gainwell added 128 scrimmage yards. The Steelers rushed for 230 yards, their most in a game since December 2016 at Buffalo.
The Lions entered the game leading the NFL in points and were fourth in total yards, but they had just 10 points and 164 yards until the fourth quarter. The Steelers sacked Goff three times, including once for a safety that opened the second-half scoring.
Detroit, though, amassed 197 yards in the final quarter when Goff threw two of his three touchdown passes. Goff finished with 364 yards passing as he tried to lead the Lions back from a pair of 12-point deficits.
“There was a lot of adversity, some of it created by us,” Tomlin said, “but they didn’t blink, and that is what is required this time of the year.”
For the Steelers, Aaron Rodgers had 266 yards passing, completing 27 of 41 attempts. His lone touchdown pass was a 45-yard heave to Gainwell near the end of the first half. It tied the score 10-10.
In a confusing turn of events, Rodgers took a deep shot with the clock winding down, lofting the ball down the right sideline. Gainwell ran step for step with linebacker Alex Anzelone, who was called for an interference penalty for pulling Gainwell to the ground. Gainwell didn’t give up on the ball, cradling it after it hit his arm. He leapt to his feet and ran into the end zone.
“I kind of lost it for a minute in the lights,” Gainwell said. “At the last second it came to me, and I put my hand on the ground and I don’t know how I caught that.”
At first, a touchdown was signaled. Then, the pass was ruled incomplete. The officials conferred again, and the touchdown was restored.
The Steelers were on the verge of regaining the lead on the first drive of the second half until a replay challenge resulted in a lost fumble that gave the Lions possession at their 3. Darnell Washington caught a short pass and was brought down as he lunged forward inside the 5. Washington was ruled down by contact, but Lions coach Dan Campbell threw the challenge flag, and the call was reserved.
Three plays later, the defense did what the offense couldn’t. Safety Kyle Dugger came around the edge and sacked Goff in the end zone for a safety that put the Steelers on top, 12-10.
“It’s big,” Tomlin said. “I would have enjoyed a (Washington) touchdown. That’s a component of complementary ball where you’re supporting one another. That’s what you do.”
After the free kick, the offense pieced together a 17-play, 64-yard drive that ended with Chris Boswell’s 23-yard field goal for a 15-10 lead. The drive consumed 9:44. The Steelers converted twice on fourth down and once on third on the drive.
“It’s just that time of year,” Tomlin said. “You do what you have to do to engineer victory.”.
After the defense forced another three and out — its fourth of the game — the Steelers hiked their advantage to 22-10 on Warren’s 45-yard touchdown burst with 12:23 remaining.
The Lions answered with Goff’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Kalif Raymond to cut the deficit to 22-17 with 8:34 left. Warren scored on a second 45-yard run around left end to restore the 12-point lead.
Again, the Lions countered with a touchdown, Goff throwing a 4-yard pass to Jahmyr Gibbs with 4:11 left to make it 29-24.
The Lions got the ball back with 2:05 left after Boswell missed a 37-yard field goal. That set the stage for a finish that was preceded by a pass interference call that negated a go-ahead touchdown with 22 seconds left.
When St. Brown was flagged with no time on the clock, the Steelers could finally exhale.
“We don’t apologize for winning,” defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. “We don’t care how it’s done.”
