DETROIT —The Pittsburgh Steelers got huge plays from running backs Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren , the defense held down a potent Lions attack, and the Lions' last-minute comeback bid ran out of time in a 29-24 Steelers win at Ford Field on Sunday.
The Lions had the ball last and scored on the game's final play, but there was an offensive pass interference penalty against Amon-Ra St. Brown . With no time on the clock, the game ended with the penalty flag.
Gainwell and Warren combined to score three 45-yard touchdowns, with Gainwell doing his damage through the air at the end of the first half on an insane catch for a big play score seconds before the half.
Warren roped off two backbreaking 45-yard runs in the second half, finishing with a season-high 143 yards on 14 carries, as the Pittsburgh offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage. No Lions defender even laid a hand on Warren during his pair of deep scoring strikes.
Gainwell had nine carries for 50 yards and added 78 yards on five caches as Aaron Rodgers ' top receiver. The Steelers quarterback finished 27 of 41 for 266 yards and the one touchdown.
The performance from the Pittsburgh defense might have been even more impressive. The Detroit defense has struggled all season and was further banged up coming into this game, but the Lions offense is one of the best units in the league.
Teryl Austin's unit kept Jared Goff and company off guard, yielding just 10 points in the first half, and not giving up much of anything until the Steelers had a two-score drive in the fourth quarter.
The defense also scored themselves, with Kyle Dugger sacking Goff in the end zone early in the third quarter.
For the second week in a row, that period was huge for the Steelers. Last week, the defense held the Miami Dolphins to -20 total yards in the third period. This week, it was -3 yards for Lions, who ran three plays while the Steelers had 14:09 in time of possession.
The Steelers drove all the way to the Detroit 9-yard line on their first drive, but a Darnell Washington fumble foiled their scoring plans. Dugger's safety followed three plays later, and on the ensuing drive, the Steelers looked like they had another touchdown, but a pass from Rodgers to DK Metcalf in the end zone was wiped out by an offensive pass interference penalty on Washington.
The Steelers were penalized eight times for 89 yards in the game. Metcalf was called for pass interference earlier, and also had a drop and got into an altercation with a Lions fan on the sideline, surrounding his four catches for 42 yards.
The Lions battled back in the fourth quarter, with Goff throwing touchdowns to Khalif Raymond and Jahmyr Gibbs to answer each of the Warren touchdowns to keep the game close.
When Chris Boswell 's 37-yard field goal attempt just ahead of the 2-minute warning, the Lions had one last chance against the Pittsburgh defense.
The Lions moved the ball down the field thanks mostly to penalties against the Steelers defense, and then got a big play from Goff to St. Brown to get into the red zone. Then the flags went the other way, with offensive pass interference wiping out not one, but two Detroit touchdowns on the final drive.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers RBs Take Flight, Defense Hangs On for Upset Win over Lions, 29-24
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