It didn’t look like any team wanted to win the game on Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field and in the end, neither team did. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions played to a 16-16 tie in week 10 of the NFL regular season, after both teams blew crucial opportunities to win the game.
“I’m in this twilight zone,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said, via the Detroit News. “I don’t know what this is really.”
Despite being the only winless team in the entire NFL, the Lions had to feel good about their chances of picking up a victory in Pittsburgh. They were coming off a bye week, while the Steelers were coming off of a short week after being in action against the Chicago Bears on Monday night. The Steelers were also without the services of starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Saturday evening.
However, it wasn’t meant to be for the Lions, who could have won the game in overtime with a field goal. Ryan Santoso missed a 48-yard attempt in overtime that would have won the game for the Lions. Detroit were missing their normal kicker, Austin Seibert, as he was placed on the IR earlier in the week, so Santoso was called up from the practice squad for the game.
“You’d like to think they’re going to make that kick, but, look, those conditions were rough,” Campbell said. “That’s why, if anything, I put that on us offensively, that we didn’t get down there farther. We put ourselves in a bind.”
Fortunately for Detroit fans, the Steelers were unable to capitalize and score themselves. But the tie still doesn’t feel quite the same as win – even if it isn’t a loss.
“I don’t know how to feel,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff said. “I think it’s my first tie. If I’m remembering correctly. It feels better than a loss, but still not where we need to be. It’s a step in the right direction.”
Goff’s status remains questionable heading into week 11 as he appeared to injure his oblique, but only time will tell if he will actually be forced to miss any action. He did manage to stay in the contest against the Steelers on Sunday, but was noticeably uncomfortable throughout it.
Campbell opted to take over play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn for the game, a strategy which did seem to help.
“I thought, hey, why not change it up a little bit here?” Campbell said, via mlive.com. “And I wanted to be able to talk to [Jared Goff] in-game, and sometimes I think when you’re able to get in the flow of the game when you’re the guy who’s calling it, it just helps to know exactly where to go.
The Lions are now 0-8-1 on the season and will be in action next on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, as they continue to chase their first win of the campaign. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
The Steelers now find themselves with a 5-3-1 record for the season as they sit in second place in the competitive AFC North. They will also be playing next Sunday, but the Steelers will be competing in the prime time contest at 8 p.m. ET against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
