Aaron Rodgers – Lions Lowdown

Five reasons the Lions lost a crucial game to the Steelers; playoff hopes diminished

It was too little too late for the Lions. On their final offensive play, fourth-and-goal from the Steelers’ 9-yard line, Amon-Ra St. Brown caught the ball and pitched it to Jared Goff who ran in for a touchdown. But after the officials’ discussed it for nearly 2 minutes, it was determined the offensive pass interference penalty called on St. Brown negated the score. Time was out. The Lions lost 29-24.

“I don’t even want to get into it, it’s not going to change anything, we still lost,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “You think you scored, you don’t score and then you think you’re going to have another play. Replay it or back it up and have one more shot. I guess that’s the way it’s written in the rule book. That’s frustrating but there again it shouldn’t have come to that.’’

An NFL game can end on an offensive penalty but not a defensive penalty.

It was the second offensive pass interference penalty called on the Lions in that series. Six plays earlier wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa’s PI penalty negated a St. Brown touchdown.

The intensity and spark of a Dan Campbell coached team seemed lacking for about three quarters of Sunday’s game and it was costly. The offense found more rhythm in the fourth quarter, but came up short.

The Lions, who were playing for a chance to get in the playoffs, saw their record fall to 8-7. Detroit’s chances of getting into the playoffs dropped to 8 percent. It was the first time they lost back-to-back games since October 2022.

Five reasons the Lions lost:

ONE: The Lions defense had no answer for the Steelers. Coming into the game the most yards Pittsburgh had gained in a game was 396. They ran up 481 yards (230 rushing) on the Lions. Aaron Rodgers was 27-of-41, 266 yards and 1 touchdown. The Steelers controlled the ball nearly the entire third quarter. The Lions offense had just three snaps and the third one was a safety. Pittsburgh was 2-of-2 fourth downs and 8 of 16 on third downs.

TWO: The Lions could not establish a run game. At all. They finished with just 15 rushing yards. Prior to Sunday, the Lions rushed for less than 100 yards in five games and lost all five. So they knew they needed the ground game. Running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery were healthy. The offensive line was missing starting center Graham Glasgow. Montgomery had 4 carries for 14 yards while Gibbs had 7 carries for 2 yards. They averaged 1.3 yards per carry. “Certainly I wish we could’ve run it more. I would love to run the ball more than that, a lot more than that,’’ Campbell said. “It just was one of those days.’’

THREE: Goff threw for three touchdowns but couldn’t find a consistent flow for the offense. He didn’t throw an interception but came close twice early in the fourth and again later that quarter. He was hurried and pressured which certainly played a role and wasn’t helped with center Graham Glasgow out. With no run game, it’s tough to get the pass game going. Goff finished 34-of-54 for 364 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

FOUR: In such a crucial game, you’d expect the Lions to come out with an intensity unknown to mankind. They looked flat early on. Aidan Hutchinson sacked Aaron Rodgers twice early but even those plays didn’t spark the defense. Physical play is the Lions trademark but on Sunday they couldn’t match the Steelers’ physicality.

FIVE: Campbell obviously was frustrated after the loss. He knows the playoff chances are much slimmer now but he also knows they have two games remaining — at the Vikings on Christmas and then at the Bears on the last weekend. “I want to see us play with our identity, what we are and what we’re about. We’re big boys in this League, pull your pants up and go to work,’’ Campbell said. “You can’t feel sorry for yourself, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting, it doesn’t feel bad. But we have nobody to blame but ourselves. It’s on us and it’s also on us to finish.

UP NEXT: Lions (8-7) at Minnesota Vikings (7-8), 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Christmas Day.

Five things to watch as Lions face Steelers in must-win game; plus injury updates

In a must-win game, the Lions, which have been a resilient team all season, once again need to bounce back after last week’s loss at the Rams.

Detroit hasn’t lost back–to-back games in three years, but in this stretch they also haven’t won back-to-back games.

To have a shot at a wild-card playoff berth the Lions must win their final three games starting with Sunday’s matchup against the Steelers at Ford Field. Then they hit the road at the Vikings on Christmas Day and then at the Chicago Bears on the final weekend.

They have shown glimpses of complementary football — like in the win over Dallas — but inconsistency is an issue. It’s frustrating to Campbell and the whole team.

With the defense giving up 30 or more points in the last three games, the offense’s margin for error is miniscule.

“When you struggle to run the ball, then to keep up or to stay ahead of them, you have to be perfect in the pass game. We have no margin for error to not have a completion, or miss on a shot play, or give up a sack,’’ Campbell said. “Like, we don’t have that. And that’s very difficult if you’re asking that of your pass game in today’s game and the League, the way it’s set up. So, it does, it puts a lot of strain on you.’’

Campbell said it all goes hand-in-hand.

“Offensively we can help the defense, and in turn the defense helps the offense, and then you gain a little confidence, you find your way,’’ the coach said.

Five things to watch:

ONE: The running back talent is there in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, but they need help and didn’t get it in the loss to the Rams. It’s happened before and they came back and fixed it. “It’s a lot of technique stuff. The scheme is there, it’s good. We just have to make sure we use the right technique coming off the ball so we don’t get beat,’’ offensive coordinator John Morton said. “That’s the biggest thing, that’s the biggest thing. And then sometimes you’ve got to narrow down things so you can make sure you get all the right looks, the certain looks. Sometimes that’s good to be simple. But bottom line, it’s just coming off the ball and using the right technique and being disciplined.’’

TWO: Not all of the Lions woes fall on the shoulders of the defense but no question they need to upgrade their play. They remain confident they can finish the final three game stretch strongly. “Because we’ve seen it all here, collectively. As an organization, as a defensive unit, as a team. We’ve been at the lowest of low where everybody wanted all the players out, all the coaches out,’’ Sheppard said. “And we’ve seen the highest of high where you’re expected to win every football game and play at a high level and then everything in between that. So, we know there’s ebbs and flows, peaks and valleys within the course of a year. You just have to absolutely make sure you’re peaking during this time of the year.’’

THREE: Aaron Rodgers has come on strong at age 42. He’s gone four games without an interception and only seven all season — against 22 touchdown passes. He poses a problem for defenses because he gets rid of the ball so fast. “He’s not hitting the ground, so just focus on how I can affect the game knowing that,’’ Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said. “And these guys are very aware of that. Aaron Rodgers definitely is familiar with our personnel and people and he knows the guys that can affect him in that way. And I would imagine he has a plan. So, it’s not getting caught up in, ‘We need to hit Rodgers.’ Collectively again, as a unit – going into this game, understanding the task at hand. How do we collectively get this mission accomplished? And these guys are doing that thus far in the two days that we’ve been prepping.”

FOUR: With offensive line injuries Jared Goff has seen multiple fronts. He’s seen the pass protection evolve in recent weeks even with the rotation at left guard. It’s questionable if center Graham Glasgow or left guard Christian Mahogany will be available on Sunday. Campbell still wants to see more protection for his quarterback. “You’d love to come out of the season and say there’s no quarterback hits. Well, that’s not reality. But you’re always going to want more. And look, it’s not the easiest thing to roll guards in there,’’ Campbell said. “You get an injury, now it’s a new guard. And now it’s this one, (Trystan) Colon’s in, now (Miles) Frazier’s in. And so, that’s not easy. But I think we’re doing the right thing, and doing what we feel like is giving us the best chance at this point. It’s not perfect, but I think it’s where we’re at and what we need to do.”

FIVE: The defense giving up explosive plays has been an issue the last four games. It’s been a focus but it still a problem. “You see a lot of it’s generated off double moves, leverage, eye discipline, things like that. And then once again, schematically, what can I do to eliminate that? A lot of times if you get double moved and there’s nobody over the top, it’s a touchdown,’’ Sheppard said. “So, just understanding and telling these hard-headed guys that want to play man that, ‘Guys, it’s a time and place for it. But the tape says.’ That’s what I go off of, facts, which is tape in our business. The tape says it’s time to kind of alter a little bit. And that just doesn’t mean we’re going to turn into safeties over the top outfit. There are going to be certain techniques that change within the single-high stuff that can help these guys, and we think we’re all going to benefit from it.”

LIONS INJURIES: OUT — S Kerby Joseph (placed on IR), OL Giovanni Manu; QUESTIONABLE — LT Taylor Decker, C Graham Glasgow, G Christian Mahogany, DB Amik Robertson and OL Trystan Colon.

STEELERS INJURIES: OUT — LB T.J. Watt, G Isaac Seumalo, CB James Pierre; DOUBTFUL — LB Nick Herbig; QUESTIONABLE — LS Christian Kuntz.

PREDICTION: Lions 28, Steelers 24

Lions Jared Goff earns MVP talk; Dan Campbell expects the best from his QB

With a 5-1 start to the season, Lions coach Dan Campbell often credits complementary football when the offense, defense and special teams all step up.

No argument here.

Still, quarterback Jared Goff has been playing lights out. He’s not doing it alone, but he’s accomplishing feats that are remarkable.

“I guess I’m just not surprised, I guess is the best way to say it. I hear these numbers and yeah, he’s playing good. He’s a good quarterback,’’ Campbell said on Monday. “I don’t see this like I’m blown away, I expect that from him. He’s playing at a high level. There are so many little things he does.’’

In the 31-29 win at the Vikings on Sunday, Goff completed 22-of-25 passes (88.0 percent) for 280 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 140.0 passer rating.

“We put a ton on his plate this week – we put a ton mentally. We asked him to do so much particularly on third down because it’s such a unique defensive scheme that we faced and the amount of pressure and he handled it so good,’’ Campbell said. “Because of that, that helps the rest of the team, it helps the rest of the offense perform at a high level. To me, that’s him.’’

With such stellar play, Goff has worked himself into the conversation for NFL MVP.

Statistics don’t tell the whole story – as ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said, “Stats are like bikinis. They show some things but not all things.”

Stats don’t show the heart, the fire in the belly and the ice in the veins. Nonetheless Goff is putting up the numbers.

The Lions offense is the only team with more offensive touchdowns (18) than incompletions (16) in a four-game span since the merger. Think about that.

— In any four-game span in NFL history, Goff is the only one to produce a completion percentage of 80.0 percent and a passer rating of 140.0.

— In each of his last four games, Goff has completed at least 72.0 percent of his passes, thrown for two touchdowns and posted a passer rating of 110.0. The only other player to have a four-game streak with these numbers in a single season was Tom Brady in 2007.

Not done yet:

— Goff is the fourth quarterback in NFL history to produce a passer rating of 140.0-or-higher in three-straight games, joining: Aaron Rodgers (2011), Kurt Warner (1999) and Roger Staubach (1971).

— Oh, and at the Vikings, Goff tied the franchise single-game completion percentage record (88.0 percent) in a game with at least 25 attempts.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Campbell was asked about critical comments from Chris Christie following the Lions 47-9 rout at Dallas a week ago. The coach smiled, shook his head and said: “The last time someone called me classless I was drinking wine from the bottle.”

UP NEXT: Tennessee Titans (1-5) at Lions (5-1), 1 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field.