Pittsburgh — The Detroit Lions didn’t lose on Sunday, but the team remains winless after blowing multiple opportunities to upset the Pittsburgh Steelers, settling for a 16-16 tie at Heinz Field on Sunday.
After a sluggish start, the Lions (0-8-1) found a mid-game rhythm, leaning on a physically dominating rushing attack. But the team proved unable to hold a fourth-quarter lead and couldn’t capitalize on numerous Steelers’ errors in the overtime period, including two turnovers, resulting in the less-than-satisfying result. Pittsburgh (5-3-1) had its four-game winning streak snapped.
Rushing for 209 yards through three quarters, the Lions entered the fourth frame with a 16-13 lead, but mustered fewer than 20 yards of offense down the stretch as the Steelers tied the contest early in the quarter.
In overtime, the Lions won the coin toss and started with a 30-yard pass play from Jared Goff to rookie Amon St. Brown before stalling out. The game looked poised to slip away when Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson beat Mark Gilbert for a long reception, but the Lions backup cornerback recovered to punch the ball free, which the Lions recovered near midfield.
BOX SCORE: Lions 16, Steelers 16
Goff threw an interception on the first play of the next series, but it was negated by a defensive holding penalty against linebacker Devin Bush. A roughing the passer call against the Steelers pushed Detroit into field goal range, but Ryan Santoso’s 48-yard effort came out low and ended well short in the heavy rain.
The Lions quickly got the ball back after a botched snap led to a Steelers punt, but despite returning it just shy of midfield, the offense went backward as players struggled to grip the ball.
The Steelers were able to frantically work into Lions’ territory in the closing minute of overtime, but safety Will Harris forced Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth to cough it up near the sideline, ending the game.
For all the chaos in overtime, the game was played at a relatively methodical pace the first 60 minutes.
Deferring after winning the initial coin toss, Detroit’s decision backfired as the Steelers efficiently drove the length of the field for an opening touchdown.
Rookie running back Najee Harris carried the ball five times for 24 yards and a 29-yard pass interference penalty against Lions cornerback Amani Oruwariye gave the Steelers a first down just outside the red zone.
Facing third-and-8 from the 9-yard line, the Lions suffered a busted coverage with Steelers receiver James Washington coming wide open in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown to give the home team the early 7-0 lead.
That was the lone score in the opening quarter as both offenses went cold.
With three possessions, the Lions failed to net a single first down in the opening frame, while the Steelers went three-and-out on their second series and quarterback Mason Rudolph — filling in for Ben Roethlisberger after the starter landed on the COVID reserve list Saturday night — misfired on third down and was intercepted by Lions linebacker Julian Okwara late in the quarter.
The Lions had a chance to tie it the first snap after the turnover when receiver Kalif Raymond got open behind the defense, but Goff badly underthrew his target, leading to a pass breakup, and eventually another punt.
But after Detroit’s defense forced another three-and-out, Raymond found a crease returning the punt, bringing it back 48 yards before being tackled by Steelers punter Presley Harvin III. Three plays later, rookie running back Jermar Jefferson burst through a hole on the left side of his line, racing for a 28-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7 early in the second quarter.
Unfortunately, Jefferson suffered an ankle injury on the run, requiring him to be carted to the locker room and ending his day.
The Steelers appeared to respond with a touchdown on the ensuing series after Harris got around the left side for a 7-yard score, but the play was negated by a holding penalty. That setback helped the Lions limit the Steelers to a 20-yard field goal.
Detroit was able to counter with a short field goal of their own before the half behind a strong possession by running back D’Andre Swift, who carried the ball eight times for 62 yards, including runs of 21, 15 and 10 yards, with the latter converting fourth-and-1.
Swift stayed hot coming out of the locker room, surpassing 100 yards on the ground early in the third quarter, but it was Godwin Igwebuike, filling in for the injured Jefferson, who made the big play to give the Lions their first lead.
After a 14-yard gain on his first carry, Igwebuike found a lane to his right, broke a tackle in the second level and galloped into the end zone for a 42-yard score. Santoso missed the extra point, leaving the Lions with a 16-10 edge.
With a rare second-half lead, the Lions defense got a little sloppy, allowing Rudolph to scramble for 26 yards on the first play of the possession. And a late hit penalty against Jalen Reeves-Maybin provided the Steelers 15 additional yards two plays later.
But with the Steelers earning a fresh set of downs at Detroit’s 5-yard line, the Lions forced three straight incompletions, leading to a 23-yard field goal that cut the lead to 16-13.
After that field goal, the two sides traded punts, with the Lions ceding field position in the exchange, allowing the Steelers to start their first drive of the fourth quarter at midfield.
After four straight carries by Harris for 17 yards to open the drive, the Steelers tried a deep shot on third down, but Washington was flagged for offensive pass interference. Harris was able to gain those 10 yards back on a replay of the down, setting up Boswell for a game-tying 51-yard field goal with 11:31 remaining.
Detroit essentially went three-and-out twice in response. After quickly being forced to punt, former Lions safety Miles Killebrew ran into punter Jack Fox, extending the drive. But Swift was dropped for a 5-yard loss and no gain on first and second down, squandering the gift.
Still, despite starting a possession in Lions’ territory, neither team could muster another score before the end of regulation, sending the matchup into overtime.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers