4 takeaways from Lions’ gut-wrenching loss against Steelers

Do you believe in miracles? The Detroit Lions need one for the rest of the season. Entering Week 16, the Lions needed the Green Bay Packers to defeat the Chicago Bears to increase their chances of making the playoffs. The Packers failed their mission, knocking the Lions’ playoff chances down a bit. That meant the Lions had to win out and get some help.

Mission failed.

Detroit lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-24 in possibly its worst loss of the season, which is saying something. The team had one good quarter of play, and it was too little, too late for them.

Here are my five takeaways from the Lions’ Week 16 loss.

The offensive line is a shell of its former self

Detroit got some good and bad news this week, as left guard Christian Mahogany was activated off IR to return after suffering a leg injury in Week 9, but center Graham Glasgow missed the game due to a knee injury. That wasn’t all, though, as the depth took a shot as backup guard Kayode Awosika and backup center Trystan Colon both missed the game, forcing the Lions to have Kingsley Eguakun start at center.

With the changes to the offensive line, the biggest struggle was running the football for the Lions. They continually let the opposing edge rusher go unblocked and reach the back for a tackle for loss. If they weren’t doing that, they were asking Mahogany to pull on a counter, and he was be too slow for that. I don’t think asking a guy coming off a leg injury to do that is the best idea.

When Detroit can’t run, they lose games, as they finished with 12 carries for 15 yards and a loss. This team relies on the run game to give the offense life, and a big reason why it was failing was the poor blocking by the offensive line. When it comes to 2026 changes, expect Detroit to target an offensive tackle and possibly a center come April.

Turd quarter returns

The Lions’ defense hit the field to start the third quarter, and nobody knew they would be out there for almost the entire time. The Steelers had a four-minute drive that ended in a fumble by Steelers tight end Darnell Washington, giving the Lions the ball at their own 3-yard line. Detroit moved backwards on their drive as in three plays, quarterback Jared Goff was sacked for a safety in 51 seconds. After the punt, the Steelers drove down the field in a drive that lasted over nine minutes, ending in a field goal to start the fourth quarter.

With that, the Lions finished the third quarter with -3 yards, while the Steelers got 129. The defense by Detroit was holding up as much as they could, but with only a few minutes for a rest, they couldn’t stop the Steelers from scoring in the end. Detroit controlled the time of possession entering halftime, but by the fourth quarter, the Steelers had a firm grasp of the game.

This team lacks grit

Remember when grit was a thing the Lions showed? In 2021, with a poor roster, they made every team earn the win against them. That grit continued into 2022, with the team showing that even though they were eliminated from the playoffs, they wanted to ruin someone else’s season. In 2023, the grit saw them push them to the NFC Championship game. Then, in 2024, the grit helped them overcome the mountain of injuries and finish with a franchise-best record of 15-2.

The grit this year? I haven’t seen it. If the Lions had won today, you could argue it was grit, but I think they woke up too little, too late in this game.

The injuries have piled up again, so throw out that excuse. The coaching staff saw major changes, but their replacements didn’t seem they lack grit, despite some being a downgrade. The roster saw some gritty players leave, but they didn’t lose their toughest.

When your identity is to be tough, and you are getting out-toughened by the opponent multiple times in a season, maybe you aren’t as gritty as you thought. Could it be that this team thought they had the grit to overcome the glaring issues (offensive line, offensive play calling, lack of pass rush outside of Aidan Hutchinson)? Maybe, but the front office and roster must do a deep dive this offseason to get themselves ready for 2026 with the right mindset, roster, and plan to ensure it’s not a repeat of this disappointing season.

Get ready to start doing mock drafts

While the Lions’ playoff chances aren’t at zero yet, I don’t see it happening. The Lions first need to win games, and that seems something this team forgot how to do, losing their first back-to-back games for the first time since October 2022. They’ve been bouncing between wins and losses for the majority of the year, and with no consistency, I don’t think they can win two more games.

They also need the Packers to lose two straight, which is a tough ask considering they play the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18. I’ve lost faith in the team, so my attention has now shifted towards the NFL Draft. This team needs a lot of help, and with its lowest first-round pick since 2023, it can get some higher-level talent. The salary cap won’t give them that much wiggle room to sign superstars, so they must nail who they take in the draft. General manager Brad Holmes can’t risk any more project players; he needs guys who can play for this team instantly.