The Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions met in a crucial Week 16 matchup for both teams. With both fighting for playoff spots, a win was supremely important.
The Steelers eked out a last-second win with a red-zone stand, but it came down to a really weird referee ruling. It was similar to the Thursday night matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, only this time, it was actually the final play of the game.
Here’s what happened.
Exploring wild ruling at end of Steelers vs. Lions
The Detroit Lions got the ball back after a brutal miss by Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell. Instead of being down eight, they were down five and needed a touchdown to win. They had about two minutes, and, thanks to some really bad Steeler penalties, they were able to march down the field. With under 30 seconds to go, the Lions actually scored from one yard out, but a penalty wiped it out.
After a couple more plays, the Lions had one more shot. Jared Goff completed a pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was stood up at the one-yard line and driven backwards. As a last-ditch attempt, St. Brown flung the ball backward, and Goff scooped it up and ran it in. It took forever for the refs to rule what had even happened, although a flag had been thrown before the lateral attempt.
The refs convened for over a minute, eventually determining that the ruling on the field was a touchdown that would’ve literally walked off the Lions as winners. However, St. Brown committed offensive pass interference (the same infraction that cost St. Brown a touchdown mere seconds earlier, though it was called on rookie Isaac TeSlaa). Therefore, with no time left and no timeouts, the game was over.
Controversy ensued
The penalty was controversial, but the more controversial thing is the fact that the refs ruled that Goff had scored. St. Brown caught the ball at the one-yard line and was immediately driven back. He pitched the ball at about the five-yard line, meaning he lost four whole yards before getting rid of the ball. Even if the ball was loose earlier than that, forward progress was absolutely stopped.
It ended up not mattering because of the penalty, but the Steelers would’ve been justifiably upset had that call stood since they made the stop and forced St. Brown back.
What this means for both teams
Unfortunately, this was a hugely detrimental loss for the Detroit Lions. They are highly unlikely to get the division title, and they’re facing an extremely uphill battle to even get back to the playoffs. They’re now 8-7, which leaves them in a difficult spot. The seventh seed is currently owned by the Green Bay Packers, who are 9-5-1. The Packers get the banged-up and struggling Baltimore Ravens next.
Green Bay has a 92% chance of getting into the playoffs, and Detroit sits at 8% now after the loss. Had they been able to pull it out, they’d be in a much better spot. They would still face an uphill battle, but their season is all but over now. The only remaining spots left for grabs in the NFC are the third and final wild card and the NFC South, and the Lions are not in a good spot to steal that wild card.
For the Steelers, this was a monumental win. For one thing, it means they’ll win at least nine games. That keeps Mike Tomlin’s absurd streak of winning seasons alive, as the Steelers can finish no worse than 9-8. But given their remaining schedule, a solid 10 or 11-win season is very possible, and that’s huge for Tomlin.
The win pushed them to 9-6, giving them a two-game lead in the NFC North with two games to play. The Ravens play the Packers on Saturday, and the Steelers face the lowly Cleveland Browns on Sunday. If the Ravens lose, the Steelers are in. If the Steelers win, they’re in. Should neither happen, the Steelers would still get in with a win in the final week against the Ravens.
Pittsburgh’s playoff chances rose to 89%, and they’re in a really good spot now thanks to that fortunate end-of-game sequence.
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