Tag: Detroit Lions vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Preseason rookie report: Quiet day for Lions rookies in loss to Pittsburgh

The Detroit Lions rookies had a quiet day in the 19-9 preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers

In their last preseason outing as rookies, many of the first-year players of the Detroit Lions failed to make much of an impact on the field.

First-round pick Aidan Hutchinson got the start on defense and immediately made an impact. On Pittsburgh’s first offensive series, Hutchinson lined up as an interior defensive lineman and with the help of Charles Harris, was able to get a sack on Steelers’ quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez didn’t get the start for this game but did get put in during the first quarter. His biggest play of the first half was on special teams, where he prevented the Steelers’ punt returner from even gaining a yard, meeting him for a tackle the moment the ball was caught.

Demetrius Taylor also got in the game early and was able to team up with Bruce Hector to prevent an attempted run up the middle by Trubisky. He stayed in for most of the game and earned one of the biggest signs of respect any opposing team can give a defensive lineman: constant double teams at the line. Taylor unfortunately was a non-factor for the rest of the game.

Seventh-round pick Chase Lucas took the field late in the first half, relieving starting nickel cornerback AJ Parker. Lucas got the bulk of his playing time in the second half and had some positive moments, including one tackle for loss in the fourth quarter.

Kerby Joseph also appeared near the end of the first half and immediately was picked on by Trubisky and tight end Pat Freiermuth. He also took reps as a gunner on punts in the second half. Overall, his struggles in coverage looked even worse than last week. The third-rounder out of Illinois may need more time to develop than we had hoped.

Undrafted rookie receiver Kalil Pimpleton had quite the up-and-down day. He was targeted in the fourth quarter but dropped the low pass from quarterback Tim Boyle. Not long later, Blough was put in and connected with the rookie for a short gain.

Unfortunately, Pimpleton dropped a would-be touchdown on a fourth-down attempt not long after but did follow up with a big catch-and-run on the next offensive series. The rookie’s day ended on a low note as he dropped a ball on an end-of-game two-point conversion attempt.

Offensive lineman Obinna Eze sat out most of the game but was put in at left tackle for Dan Skipper with about five minutes left to go. He bent but didn’t break as he struggled to contain Pittsburgh’s edge defenders but didn’t appear to give up any pressures on Blough.

Tight ends James Mitchell and Derrick Deese were used sparingly on offense in the second half and were not targeted once. When they did take the field, it was often together in double tight end sets where their primary assignment was blocking.

James Houston appeared in the game as a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker but failed to make his presence known in any way. Undrafted rookie cornerback Cedric Boswell did not play, and neither did offensive lineman Kevin Jarvis.

First-round pick Jameson Williams is inactive on the NFI list while Josh Paschal is on PUP. Running back Greg Bell is out for the season on injured reserve.

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Mistake-prone Lions fall in preseason finale in Pittsburgh

The Detroit Lions committed too many mistakes and fell to the host Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL’s preseason finale

The Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers closed out the NFL’s preseason on Sunday afternoon. For the visitors from Detroit, it was not the type of game that inspires confidence for a number of players hoping to make one last positive impression before final roster cutdowns.

The Steelers prevailed 19-9, the byproduct of having a significantly better No. 2 QB in rookie Kenny Pickett and making a lot fewer mistakes than the Lions. Pickett was impressive. The Lions combination of David Blough and Tim Boyle? Yeah, not so much…

Boyle had an epically bad performance, even for preseason. Starting in place of Jared Goff, Boyle completed 5-of-15 passes for 64 yards and an interception where the Steelers DB was the apparent intended receiver. Blough largely struggled as well but did cobble together an impressive late drive, albeit against players who won’t be in Pittsburgh beyond Tuesday’s roster trim deadline.

The Steelers raced out to a 16-0 halftime lead, though the Lions first-team defense held its own despite the offense doing next to nothing. Detroit’s offense struggled to move the ball on first downs and everything spiraled downward from those rough drive starts.

Several players presumed to be on the Lions roster bubble showed up impressively. Among them: RB Justin Jackson, OG Logan Stenberg and CB Chase Lucas. But far too many did not, and it extends well beyond the quarterbacks. Several defensive backs showed a lack of awareness with the ball in the air. The reserve offensive tackles were largely awful, and the depth at WR wasn’t much better.

It’s a wrap on the exhibition season. The Lions finished 1-2, though it cannot be stressed enough that the scores do not matter. Now we wait until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET for the reduction from 80 players to 53.

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Five players to watch in Detroit Lions’ final preseason game

Our Maz Gerber breaks down five players to watch in Detroit Lions’ final preseason game

The Detroit Lions are headed to Pittsburgh for their third and final game of the 2022 preseason.

The final preseason game is the last chance for many players on the back end of the roster to prove they have what it takes to make it in the NFL. Teams tend to rest their starters in favor of getting extended looks at their depth players.

There are several Lions players who have impressed throughout training camp and the first two preseason games who should be featured heavily against the Steelers. Here are five players to keep an eye on in this matchup:

Lions vs. Steelers: How to watch, listen, stream the final preseason game

Detroit Lions vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: How to watch, listen and stream the final preseason game

The NFL preseason schedule comes to a close when the Detroit Lions visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon. The 4:30 p.m. ET start is the last exhibition game around the league. The Steelers recently changed the name of their home field to Acrisure Stadium

Watch

The game will be televised nationally by CBS on all its platforms as well as over the air. Greg Gumbel will handle the play-by-play and Charles Davis will provide color commentary.

Stream

All preseason games are available to live stream with the NFL+ app on phones or tablets. The preseason games are free of charge on the app.

For preseason games only, fans can also use the Detroit Lions app or visit the team’s website on a tablet or phone. Note that the live streaming will not work on a home PC or laptop.

Listen

The team of Dan Miller on play-by-play, Lomas Brown on color commentary and T.J. Lang as the sideline reporter will handle the radio feed.

The game will be aired live on the Detroit Lions radio network, which features over 40 affiliate stations around Michigan and Northwest Ohio. In Detroit, the game airs on 97.1 The Ticket, the flagship station of the network. The full list of 2022 radio affiliates is available here.

Steelers will start Mitch Trubisky at QB in preseason finale vs. Lions

Trubisky and rookie Kenny Pickett are battling for the starting job in Pittsburgh

There will be a familiar old foe lining up under center for the Pittsburgh Steelers when the Detroit Lions face head coach Mike Tomlin’s team in the preseason finale on Sunday. Tomlin announced that veteran Mitch Trubisky will start at QB for Pittsburgh.

Trubisky–who has reverted back to being known as Mitch instead of Mitchell–and first-round rookie Kenny Pickett are battling for the starting job, taking over in the long shadow of now-retired Ben Roethlisberger. Pickett has had an impressive preseason but Trubisky has also shown enough to make it a legit competition.

Lions fans know Trubisky well from his early days with the Chicago Bears. From 2017-2020, Trubisky went 4-3 against Detroit, throwing for 15 TDs and just four INTs. He had an almost perfect game against Detroit in Week 10 of the 2018 season.

The Lions will start Tim Boyle at quarterback, Detroit coach Dan Campbell announced on Friday. Boyle is efforting to solidify the top backup job behind starter Jared Goff.

Jared Goff won’t play in Lions’ preseason game vs. Steelers but other starters will

Coach Dan Campbell indicated most starters will play about a half but Goff will sit

Lions quarterback Jared Goff’s preseason is over. Coach Dan Campbell declared that Goff will not play in the team’s final preseason matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

“He’s not gonna talk me into it,” Campbell joked in his pre-practice press conference on Monday.

Goff also sat out the second preseason game, a 27-26 win over the Colts in Indianapolis. That game followed two intense days of joint practices where Goff played extensively. No. 16 executed a fantastic opening drive in the first preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons and has not played since.

Campbell did note that other starters are expected to play. He also indicated that the Steelers will play their starters “about a half,” according to Campbell’s conversation with Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin. The Lions will match that, per Campbell.

When asked if Tim Boyle or David Blough would get the start, Campbell indicated that Boyle was the likely starter but it’s yet to be determined. Blough and Boyle are in a fierce competition to be Goff’s primary backup.

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Lions vs. Steelers: Best and worst PFF grades from Week 10

Here are this week’s PFF best and worst performances for the Detroit Lions week 10 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers

It wasn’t exactly the performance the Detroit Lions were hoping for coming out their bye. Still, after one of the most unappealing, uncompetitive games you will ever watch, the Lions mustered out a 16-16 tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

If there was ever a game where neither team deserved to claim victory, it was most certainly this one where each team was doing everything in their power to lose this week. The Lions offense became predictable real quick, and once the Steelers were able to solve that issue, it was all over for them. On the flip side of the defense, they did put in a solid effort, but when you are facing Mason Rudolph on the other side, it can be difficult to judge how well the players are performing.

The performances speak for themselves, and with the latest PFF grades from this matchup, it almost lines up with how you would anticipate from this week.

Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick tests positive for COVID-19 the day after playing the Lions

Pittsburgh was already without QB Ben Roethlisberger, who tested positive on Saturday.

One day after playing the Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has tested positive for COVID-19, per Kimberley Martin of ESPN.

Coming on the heels of Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger missing the Week 10 matchup after testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, it’s a concern that the outbreak amongst the Steelers could become an issue for the Lions. Fitzpatrick played all but one of the Steelers defensive snaps in the tie on Sunday.

It is unknown if Fitzpatrick’s diagnosis comes with any correlation to Roethlisberger, whose sudden absence on Saturday night forced the Steelers to start Mason Rudolph at quarterback. As of now, no Lions players have tested positive for COVID-19 after the trip to Pittsburgh.

Snap count notes: Lions leaned heavily on extra OL in Week 10

Snap count notes: Lions leaned heavily on using extra OL in the Week 10 tie with the Steelers

On a week where the Lions unceremoniously waived No. 2 tight end Darren Fells, the Detroit offense leaned heavily on replacing Fells’ old role in an unconventional way. Detroit used a sixth lineman as a de facto blocking tight end extensively in the Week 10 tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Between Matt Nelson (18 snaps) and Will Holden (10), the Lions leaned heavily on the “heavy” package. The 28 combined snaps were more than Fells played in any game through the first eight weeks. Nelson, the team’s starting right tackle the first eight games, left the game with an injury, which led to Holden’s reps.

With the starting offensive line all playing in each of the team’s 71 snaps, the Lions OL was busy. So was tight end T.J. Hockenson, who played in 67 reps. the new No. 2 TE, Brock Wright, was on the field for 36.

At running back, it was almost exclusively the D’Andre Swift show. Swift played a career-high 66 snaps. Without regular starter Jamaal Williams, the Lions gave three early reps to rookie Jermar Jefferson as the between-the-tackles runner. Jefferson suffered an injury of his own at the end of his 28-yard touchdown run and did not return. Godwin Igwebuike played just four snaps on offense, though he did play a season-high 27 special teams reps.

On defense, two Lions never left the field: LB Alex Anzalone and CB Amani Oruwariye. They both played all 87 snaps.

The cornerback reps after Oruwariye were jumbled by injuries. Jerry Jacobs left after playing all of the first 57 snaps. Former Steelers practice squad CB Mark Gilbert played the remaining 30 as the other outside CB opposite Oruwariye in his first defensive action in Detroit.

Along the defensive line, Da’Shawn Hand played the most. Hand played 68 reps. That’s significantly more than the next DEs on the list, Nick Williams (39) and Michael Brockers (38). Second-round rookie Levi Onwuzurike played just 26. Detroit didn’t use the nose tackle as much as normal vs. Pittsburgh, with third-round rookie Alim McNeill playing 15 and John Penisini in for 14.

 

Lions first-round rookie Penei Sewell pitches a shutout in his first start at right tackle

Sewell didn’t allow a single QB hit or pressure in his first start at right tackle, per Pro Football Focus

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The Detroit Lions finally had their bookend offensive tackles in place in Week 10. Taylor Decker’s return at left tackle allowed the Lions to go forward with the plan of installing first-round rookie Penei Sewell at right tackle. Both played well in the 16-16 tie under terrible field conditions and bad weather in Pittsburgh.

Sewell has thrived all season in run blocking. That translated pretty easily from the left side to the right on Sunday. Detroit ran the ball for 229 yards and two touchdowns, the first time the Lions have topped 200 yards on the ground in three years.

The run-heavy game plan certainly suited No. 58.

“As an O-lineman I love a game plan that’s going forward more than backward,” Sewell told reporters after the game.

As impressive as the run blocking was, and not just from Sewell but the entire line, the rookie’s work in pass protection was even better. Sewell did not allow a single QB hurry or hit the entire game per Pro Football Focus.

That’s quite a feat against any NFL team for a rookie. Doing it against Pittsburgh and T.J. Watt, who went heads-up vs. Sewell most of the time before the All-Pro left with an injury late, is even more impressive.

The low-key Sewell explained how he did it, with a nod to the temporary switch to the left side.

“It felt real comfortable,” Sewell said after the game. “It was really a testament to all that work that happened in training camp, when I was getting comfortable with that position, and also, playing left tackle kind of helped with the transition, weirdly.

Sewell is getting more consistent with his technique by the week. Changing sides didn’t cause the problems that many fretted might pop up. Sewell chalked that up to growing up on the job.

“Having those first eight games (under) my belt helped tremendously. I know the speed of the game and everything that comes along with an NFL game.”