Steelers bumble way to tie against winless Lions

The scoreboard didn’t reflect a loss Sunday afternoon for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It just felt that way after they played the NFL’s only winless team and still couldn’t extend their winning streak to five games.

On a cold, damp day at Heinz Field, the Steelers played a game that was as sloppy as the conditions, which left them shaking their heads after a 16-16 draw against the Detroit Lions.

“I know it’s a tie,” defensive captain Cameron Heyward said, “but it’s not a win, so I don’t really think you can hang your hat on that.”

Facing a team that toted an 0-8 record into the game and was searching for its first win in Pittsburgh since 1955, the Steelers allowed a season-high 229 yards rushing. Playing with Mason Rudolph under center instead of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers (5-3-1) scored a touchdown on their opening possession and never reached the end zone again over the next 60 minutes. They also committed the only three turnovers of the game – two coming in overtime and inside Detroit territory.

The tie was sealed one play after tight end Pat Freiermuth – so sure-handed in his rookie season – lost a fumble at the Detroit 38 with eight seconds remaining while trying to get into range for Chris Boswell to kick a winning field goal.

“A tie in the NFL always feels like a loss when you get to the locker room because you’re not adding one to the win column, and it’s a half-game that might make a difference at the end,” linebacker Joe Schobert said. “To let it slip away when you’re that close, it definitely hurts.”

It remains to be seen whether the tie hurts the Steelers in the year-end standings. In 2018, a season-opening tie in Cleveland eventually left the Steelers a half-game behind Baltimore and kept them out of the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.

“We have to accept responsibility for the outcome of the game, and we do,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “We look at what it is we can do and how we could have done it better in terms of changing the outcome of the game. But we didn’t do enough.”

Already playing without Roethlisberger, who was placed on the reserve/covid list Saturday night, and wide receiver Chase Claypool, the Steelers lost four other starters to injury during the game, including All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt to a hip and knee injuries late in the third quarter.

Starting less than 18 hours after Roethlisberger’s diagnosis, Rudolph completed 30 of 50 passes for 242 yards, one touchdown and one interception. After throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass on the opening series, Rudolph couldn’t lead the Steelers to another TD on a day Najee Harris rushed for 105 yards on 26 carries.

The Steelers faced a pair of first-and-goal situations and came away with short Boswell field goals on each occasion. A touchdown run by Harris was wiped out by a holding call on left tackle Dan Moore Jr. that backed up the Steelers into a first-and-17 in the second quarter.

In the third, with the Steelers trailing 16-10, Rudolph had scrambles of 26 and 11, the latter providing a first-and-goal from the 5. What followed were three consecutive incomplete passes.

“When you get down there that close, you need to come away with seven and not three,” Rudolph said. “We know that. I was pleased with the way we did that on the opening drive and punched it in, but we’ve got to close the door on them early and go up by a few more scores.”

Held to 19 yards on nine plays in the first quarter, the Lions used a 48-yard punt return as a springboard to cut into a 7-0 deficit. Jermar Jefferson cut through the defense for a 28-yard touchdown run that was a sign of things to come.

At halftime, the Lions had 114 yards rushing. They opened the third quarter by getting runs of 16, 12 and 14 yards before Godwin Igwebuike broke four tackles en route to a 42-yard score that gave the Lions a 16-10 edge. The only saving grace for the Steelers was that Ryan Santoso missed the extra point.

D’Andre Swift had a game-high 130 yards rushing, and the Lions finished with 229 on the ground.

“When we lose it’s a concern. When we tie it’s a concern,” Heyward said about poor run defense and slew of missed tackles. “We’re in this game to win. I don’t care how it’s done. We’ve got to be better.”

Boswell’s third field goal, from 51 yards, tied the score with 11:31 remaining in the fourth. The Steelers defense finally stiffened. Trouble was, the offense couldn’t sustain any drives. On their next five possessions, the Steelers totaled just one first down.

In OT, Diontae Johnson’s fumble after a 39-yard catch and run gave the ball back to the Lions at the Detroit 45. A Minkah Fitzpatrick interception was negated by a holding call on Devin Bush, and the Lions advanced to the Steelers 30 where Santoso’s 48-yard field goal try landed short with 4:03 left.

The Steelers got the ball back one last time at their 11 and 1:37 remaining. Rudolph led a drive that included four first downs and reached the Detroit 39 with 15 seconds left.

Then, another fumble sealed the Steelers’ fate.

“I would say we should have won the game,” Johnson said. “Those two plays kind of took the momentum from us.”