One bad offensive penalty call by the officials was the turning point for this game. The Miami Dolphins got routed by the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday as Joe Burrow carved up the Dolphins defense and Miami had a 7th round rookie starting at quarterback in Quinn Ewers. These last couple of games is going to show […] One bad offensive penalty call by the officials was the turning point for this game. The Miami Dolphins got routed by the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday as Joe Burrow carved up the Dolphins defense and Miami had a 7th round rookie starting at quarterback in Quinn Ewers. These last couple of games is going to show just how bad this Dolphins roster is. They lack talent and are going to be dealing with some cap issues this offseason. Whether Mike McDaniel is back or not, this team probably won’t be ready to compete for anything next season. You can check out that story here, and the rest of the day’s round-up below. First look at the possible 2026 Tua-less Dolphins was not a pretty oneCincinnati demolishes Miami as Tagovailoa watches from the bench Bengals at Dolphins Chris Perkins: A weird week and season for Dolphins got even weirder SundayIt’s been a weird week in Dolphinsland. We saw some things we haven’t typically seen. Miami Dolphins instant takeaways: How did Quinn Ewers look in debut?The Miami Dolphins’ experiment with the rookie looked pretty good. For a half. Hyde10: Ewers struggles, Burrows soars, draft update — 10 thoughts on Dolphins’ ugly loss to CincyThe Dolphins (6-9) played a meaningless game Sunday in a meaningless way. Cincinnati (5-10) demolished the Dolphins 45-21 by scoring touchdowns on five straight possessions from the end of the first half into the fourth quarter. Things we learned in Miami Dolphins’ 45-21 loss to Cincinnati BengalsThe Miami Dolphins ensured back-to-back losing seasons with Sunday’s 45-21 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, and in the process they found out that rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers still has a long way to go before he can compete for a starting job. A troubling trend that’s haunted the Dolphins all season ruined their 45-21 loss to Bengals and Mike McDaniel doesn’t seem to have an answerThe same thing that’s been haunting Miami all season ruined their Week 16 game. Dolphins Quarterbacks Quinn Ewers Report Card in Dolphins’ start | SchadMiami Dolphins rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers made his first NFL start, against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium. Quinn Ewers looks OK but Miami Dolphins will need franchise QB | SchadMiami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was upset about third-down tackling and a lopsided third-quarter problem that’s lasted all season but the most interesting thing he said was about program-building, in light of what will be a second consecutive losing season. Phinsider News You May Have Missed Miami Dolphins to move on from Tua Tagovailoa; Offered 4 first-round picks for Joe Burrow ahead of 2020 NFL DraftAs the Miami Dolphins prepare to face the Bengals, and search for a new QB, an old rumor starts to resurface. NFL Week 16 Saturday schedule, odds: Eagles vs. Commanders, Packers vs. BearsWeek 16 brings Saturday games. Who will win the Eagles-Commanders and Packers-Bears games? We make our predictions. Fan confidence drops as Dolphins lose, make quarterback changeThe Miami Dolphins were embarrassed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15, then made a major quarterback change heading into Week 16. How are the fans feeling about the direction of the team? Bengals vs. Dolphins final score: Cincinnati trounces Miami in second-half onslaughtThe Miami Dolphins faced the Cincinnati Bengals in the first start for quarterback Quinn Ewers. We react to everything as it happens. See More: The Splash Zone
Dolphins steamrolled by Bengals – The Splash Zone 12/22/25
NFL Week 16 Recap: New England Patriots 28, Baltimore Ravens 24
The Patriots clinched their first playoff berth since the 2021 season, besting the Ravens while overcoming an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit after Lamar Jackson exited with a back injury. Stefon Diggs propelled New England’s victory with nine catches for 138 yards, while K’Lavon Chaisson forced a Zay Flowers fumble with under 2 minutes remaining.
Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants: Third Quarter Recap and Fourth Quarter Discussion
We are heading to the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium, and your Minnesota Vikings are still leading the New York Football Giants in the final road game of the year for the purple by a score of 13-10. The Giants got the football first to start the half, as the Vikings won the coin toss […] We are heading to the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium, and your Minnesota Vikings are still leading the New York Football Giants in the final road game of the year for the purple by a score of 13-10. The Giants got the football first to start the half, as the Vikings won the coin toss and elected to take the football first. New York’s offense, as they have done all afternoon, didn’t do much to move the football and were forced to punt the ball away. Join the conversation! Sign up for a user account and get: Fewer ads Create community posts Comment on articles, community posts Rec comments, community posts New, improved notifications system! Minnesota’s offense, led by Max Brosmer following an injury to J.J. McCarthy, took over at its own 13-yard line. They eventually made it down to the New York 44, but wound up having to punt it away themselves. New York then put together was was probably their best drive of the afternoon, at least since their opening drive, pushing into Minnesota territory. The Vikings’ defense just got to Dart for a sack, and as we move to the fourth quarter of play, the Giants are looking at a 3rd-and-12 from the Minnesota 48-yard line. If it doesn’t sound like a whole lot happened during that third quarter. . .well, that’s only because nothing really happened. We’re moving to the fourth quarter of play at MetLife Stadium, and the Minnesota Vikings lead the New York Giants, 13-10. Come join us for the conclusion to this week’s game! See More:
Chiefs believe quarterback Gardner Minshew tore his ACL against Titans
For the second week in a row, the Kansas City Chiefs have lost a quarterback to a serious knee injury. After the Chiefs’ first possession in Sunday’s eventual 26-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans went three-and-out, quarterback Gardner Minshew was observed getting medical attention on the sideline. Trainers were looking at his knee. Minshew was […] For the second week in a row, the Kansas City Chiefs have lost a quarterback to a serious knee injury. After the Chiefs’ first possession in Sunday’s eventual 26-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans went three-and-out, quarterback Gardner Minshew was observed getting medical attention on the sideline. Trainers were looking at his knee. Minshew was playing in relief of superstar starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who tore his ACL and LCL in Week 15’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Minshew returned to the field for the Chiefs’ next four possessions, including a safety early in the second quarter that gave the Titans a 2-0 lead. Reserve quarterback Chris Oladokun, however, came on for the Chiefs’ next drive, and Minshew did not return. Per Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Chiefs believe Minshew suffered a torn ACL only a week after Kansas City lost Mahomes to the same injury. The diagnosis is pending further testing. Speaking after the game, head coach Andy Reid simply explained that Minshew had a knee injury and would undergo an MRI. Fortunately for the Chiefs, with Week 17’s contest against the Denver Broncos only four days away, Reid did not report any additional injuries. “Gardner hurt his left knee,” said the coach. “We don’t have any results for you. We’ll get that when he has a chance to get an MRI.” In relief, Oladokun threw for 111 yards on 11 completions while being sacked four times. Reid thought the team’s longtime practice squad passer put in a good showing. “I thought he did okay,” he remarked. “He was able to get us moving a little bit. I probably could have given him better stuff to work with — in particular, get him some more reps during the week. He didn’t have any reps to lean on. But I thought for what he was asked to do, he did a nice job.” The Chiefs activated Oladokun from the practice squad on Saturday in the wake of Mahomes’ injury. With Minshew now hurt, the 241st selection of the 2022 NFL Draft is currently the only healthy quarterback on any version of Kansas City’s roster. Reid will likely be focused on getting Oladokun ready for a likely start in prime time on a short week, deferring any potential additions at the position to general manager Brett Veach. One possible candidate could be Bailey Zappe, who was in training camp with the Chiefs last summer. He could be poached from the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad. See More:
Detroit Lions’ controversial ending with Steelers explained
It wouldn’t be a brutal Detroit Lions loss without some officiating controversy. The Lions were in the midst of a furious comeback to keep their season alive, but two offensive pass interference penalties erased a pair of go-ahead scores in the final seconds of the game. The first came on a 1-yard touchdown pass to […] It wouldn’t be a brutal Detroit Lions loss without some officiating controversy. The Lions were in the midst of a furious comeback to keep their season alive, but two offensive pass interference penalties erased a pair of go-ahead scores in the final seconds of the game. The first came on a 1-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. It was a classic pick play, and Lions rookie receiver Isaac TeSlaa was called for running into the Steelers’ defensive back, allowing St. Brown to spring wide open. Typically, this is going to get called if it doesn’t look like the receiver is running a route. Contact like this is not permitted if it’s more than 1 yard beyond the line of scrimmage. It’s pretty close to the goal line when the contact was made, so it’s debatable. Additionally, one has to wonder if it was the Steelers defender redirecting TeSlaa into the other defensive back that caused the pass interference. A few plays later on the final play of the game, Goff targeted St. Brown, who was stopped short of the goal line, but eventually lateraled it to Jared Goff, who leapt into the end zone for the game-winning score. But again, the Lions were called for pass interference, with officials arguing a push-off from St. Brown. Take a look: The officials gathered for well over a minute to discuss what they were going to call. And after a lengthy discussion, they said it was a touchdown, but the pass interference obviously negated the play, and with zeroes on the clock, the game was over. Per the official rulebook, when an offensive penalty occurs with no time remaining, the game is over. It’s probably worth noting that the Lions would’ve gotten the benefit of what probably should have been forward progress stopped on the St. Brown lateral had the penalty not been called, but it doesn’t matter. Do you agree with the calls or do you think the Lions got hosed (again)? See More: Detroit Lions News
3 things I think about the Rams following loss to Seahawks
The Los Angeles Rams’ recent loss to the Seattle Seahawks is a much bigger deal than most are making it out to be. For a team with Super Bowl expectations, the path to the pinnacle of professional football just grew much more difficult. Let’s assess the fallout of the loss and evaluate where the Rams […] The Los Angeles Rams’ recent loss to the Seattle Seahawks is a much bigger deal than most are making it out to be. For a team with Super Bowl expectations, the path to the pinnacle of professional football just grew much more difficult. Let’s assess the fallout of the loss and evaluate where the Rams stand in the balance of the NFC West conference. These are three things I think about this team into the final weeks of the regular season. 1 – The playoff bracket is unfavorable to Rams For the purposes of this discussion, let’s assume either the Seahawks or San Francisco 49ers take the NFC West and first seed in the conference. With the Carolina Panthers’ win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, they are now the firm favorite to win the NFC South. The Chicago Bears are also currently leading the NFC North. With the Rams resigned to a wildcard berth, there are three probable paths for the first game of the postseason: At the Philadelphia Eagles At the Chicago Bears At the Carolina Panthers Los Angeles did not face the Bears over the regular season. They lost to both of the Eagles and Panthers. While the Rams enjoyed a sizeable lead over the Eagles, this is a team that has had LA’s number in recent seasons. The Panthers loss was a mild surprise; however, Carolina is a young team growing in confidence and they were able to copy the 49ers’ blueprint to take down the Rams. Earning safety through a first-round bye is paramount, especially if your goal is to make it to the big dance. These are roughly 50/50 matchups, and the margin for error narrows for road teams. I’m not saying I think the Rams will be bounced in the opening round of the postseason, but it is a realistic possibly. We cannot discount the fact that the path to the Super Bowl increased dramatically in terms of degree of difficulty after the Rams’ loss to Seattle. Past is prologue, and history tells us the Rams have already lost to two of three potential opponents. 2 – The special teams issues likely can’t be fixed The Rams fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn and replaced him with former Denver Broncos assistant Ben Kotwica. Let’s be honest about what difference this move truly makes. While Blackburn very well could have been a problem on the coaching staff and contributed to the special teams struggles, it’s unlikely that turning him to a scapegoat solves anything. Kotwica has been on the staff all year. If he has any bright ideas, they would have been offered up by now. I think it’s unrealistic to believe that Kotwica taking over will get Harrison Mevis to make more field goals, improve tackling on punt/kick return coverage, and fixed LA’s consistent issues in field goal and punt protection. LA’s problems are mainly a result of a lack of execution. Sure, coaching can help with this. More likely the answer is that the Rams don’t have the right players to turn things around on short notice. If they did, we would never have arrived at this point. 3 – It’s worth resting starters in Week 18 Unless the 49ers and Seahawks drop the ball over the next two weeks, the Rams might as well rest their starters in the regular season finale. We watched Matthew Stafford take a big hit to the chest area towards the end of Thursday night’s game. He’s in his late 30’s and would likely benefit from a week of rest. Veterans like Kevin Dotson and Davante Adams are probably already on a maintenance plan into the postseason. Would the Rams have a preference for playing Carolina over Philadelphia or Chicago? It doesn’t seem worth risking injury to key individuals to move up one spot, and a lot of players across the roster stand to benefit from rest. See More: Los Angeles Rams News
Las Vegas Raiders-Houston Texans live updates
The Las Vegas Raiders are playing at the Houston Texans on Sunday. Here is everything to need to know about the game: First quarter The Texans won the coin toss and deferred. The teams traded punts to start the game. After a 23 second first drive (with three incompletions by Geno Smith), the Raiders took […] The Las Vegas Raiders are playing at the Houston Texans on Sunday. Here is everything to need to know about the game: First quarter The Texans won the coin toss and deferred. The teams traded punts to start the game. After a 23 second first drive (with three incompletions by Geno Smith), the Raiders took the field for their second drive and Geno threw a pick six to Houston cornerback Derek Stingley. It was an awful throw by Smith, who missed last week with an injury. 7-0 Houston. Ashton Jeanty had a 21-yard run. but it was negated by a Dylan Parham penalty. The Raiders challenged a potential first-down conversion, but it was denied and they punted on fourth and one from their 34. The Raiders haven’t gotten a first down in eight of their past 11 possessions. It’s been a solid start by the Raiders’ defense as Houston had to punt again. Second quarter: Jack Bech made a big gainer and then the Raiders tied the game at 7-7- wot 12:25 to go in the first half on a third down touchdown pass from Smith to star tight end Brock Bowers. It was the Raiders’ first points since Week 4. It was a seven-play 61-yard drive. The Texans, who have been sluggish on offense, hit two field goals of 50-plus yards to take a 13-7 lead late in the second quarter. Halftime: Texans 13, Raiders 7. Raiders Week 16: Meet the Texans
Vikings Lose Key Pieces In Ugly Win Over Giants
A game between a 6-8 team and a 2-12 team in late December is generally expected to be a pretty ugly affair, and Sunday’s contest between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants at MetLife Stadium certainly met those expectations. Only one offensive touchdown was scored on Sunday afternoon, and the Vikings lost a couple […] A game between a 6-8 team and a 2-12 team in late December is generally expected to be a pretty ugly affair, and Sunday’s contest between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants at MetLife Stadium certainly met those expectations. Only one offensive touchdown was scored on Sunday afternoon, and the Vikings lost a couple of key components heading into the final weeks of the regular season during an ugly 16-13 victory over the Giants in Week 16 NFL action. The Vikings got on the scoreboard first, getting a 43-yard field goal from Will Reichard on their first possession to take a 3-0 lead. It should have been more than that, as the play before the field goal attempt saw J.J. McCarthy throw a perfect pass to Jordan Addison in the end zone that Addison just flat-out dropped. It was another in a long list of drops for Addison this season, which is something the team will have to address at some point. The Giants turned the ball over on downs on their first possession, getting turned away on 4th-and-5 from the Minnesota 10-yard line when Jaxson Dart was sacked by Jalen Redmond to end the New York drive. On the ensuing possession, the Vikings turned it over, as a McCarthy pass intended for Jalen Nailor went off Nailor’s hands and into the hands of Paulson Adebo for an interception that set the Giants up in Minnesota territory. New York turned the turnover into points, as rookie kicker Ben Sauls connected on his first NFL field goal attempt, a 27-yarder to tie things at 3-3 four minutes into the second quarter. The Vikings narrowly avoided a disaster as what would have been a 96-yard pick-six for Giants’ safety Jevon Holland was negated by a defensive offsides penalty. As it was, the Vikings got another field goal from Reichard, a 31-yarder to take the lead back at 6-3. Then, the Vikings’ defense got involved, as Dart’s pass for Theo Johnson deflected off his hands and into the hands of Byron Murphy Jr. for his first interception of the season, with the return setting the Vikings up in the red zone. The Vikings converted that turnover into the game’s first touchdown, as McCarthy couldn’t find anything open on third down and took it into the end zone himself from 12 yards out to make the score 13-3 just before the two-minute warning. The Vikings got the ball back with about a minute left before the half, and they allowed the Giants to get a score on defense. Brian Burns leveled McCarthy on a sack, and he fumbled the ball on the hit. The ball was recovered by former Golden Gopher Tyler Nubin, who took it into the end zone from 27 yards out, making the score 13-10 just before halftime. The play resulted in McCarthy sustaining an injury to his throwing hand, with Max Brosmer taking over at quarterback for the second half of play. After a scoreless third quarter, the Giants drew even early in the fourth on another field goal by Sauls, as he connected from 39 yards out to tie things at 13-13 with just over eleven minutes left in regulation. Minnesota then took the lead back with just over four minutes to play, as Reichard got his third field goal of the afternoon, this one coming from 30 yards out to make it a 16-13 game. The Giants advanced the ball to midfield near the two-minute warning, but faced a 4th-and-3 that saw Dart sacked by Andrew Van Ginkel for a turnover on downs. The Vikings then handed the ball to Aaron Jones a few times to pick up a first down, and went into victory formation for their third consecutive victory. In addition to McCarthy, the Vikings also lost running back Jordan Mason early on to an ankle injury, and center Ryan Kelly to what appears to be another concussion. It would be Kelly’s third concussion of this season and the sixth of his career, and it’s definitely starting to be time to wonder whether or not his career might be coming to an end here as well. The Vikings move to 7-8 on the season with their third consecutive victory, and will now finish their season with consecutive games at U.S. Bank Stadium against NFC North divisional opponents. They will host the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day and finish the season against the Green Bay Packers in Week 18. It wasn’t a work of art by any means, but the Minnesota Vikings picked up their third consecutive victory as they defeated the New York Football Giants at MetLife Stadium by a final score of 16-13 in Week 16. Thank you to everyone who got their coverage of this week’s game right here at The Daily Norseman! See More:
5 winners, 5 losers from the Detroit Lions’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers
The playoff dream is not officially dead, but we are firmly in miracle territory. For the first time since 2022, the Detroit Lions have lost back-to-back games, and it came at the worst possible moment. A week after losing to the Los Angeles Rams in a barnburner, the Lions fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers in […] The playoff dream is not officially dead, but we are firmly in miracle territory. For the first time since 2022, the Detroit Lions have lost back-to-back games, and it came at the worst possible moment. A week after losing to the Los Angeles Rams in a barnburner, the Lions fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a battle of ineptitude. Detroit now sits with a 8-7 record on the year and their playoff chances sit at six percent. Not only do they not control their own fate, they will need significant help from the football gods. Yet even if they make the playoffs against all odds, do we have any faith of a playoff run? The team looks lifeless and, given the onslaught that will be the NFC playoff bracket, they are not threatening anyone. I found some winners and losers from this unfortunate loss, but I would not blame you for listing the entire team as an outright loser. Littles victories matter little when the season is almost over. Loser: Hank Fraley, run game coordinator Any number of things can shoulder the blame for this inept run game: the offensive line for not opening lanes, the running backs for failing to capitalize on opportunities, the defense for falling behind and forcing the run game to get abandoned, or passing game for floundering. This section is, in essence, a summary of multiple losers. However, the blame has to rest on Hank Fraley. The offensive line coach and run game coordinator has looked completely outmatched for the previous two games—the strength of the 2024 Lions has evaporated. Last season, Detroit was dominant in the trenches, instilling the fear of God in opposing defenses with the speed and power of their linemen and running backs. This year, the Lions are the ones getting bullied. The Lions finished with 16 yards on 11 carries between Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Gibbs had seven carries for a mere two yards—TWO YARDS! We know how talented Gibbs is, so this output (or lack thereof) is downright disgusting from the run game. How can I list Gibbs as a Loser when he got hit in the backfield on most of his carries? No running back can succeed in that environment. Aside from Penei Sewell, nobody is reliable on a weekly basis. Taylor Decker has battled injuries all season. Tate Ratledge has rookie growing pains. Nobody has been able to solidify the left guard or center positions. The Lions live and die by their run game, and the run game lives and dies by their offensive line. Fraley’s crew doesn’t have it this year. Worse yet, this was a game in which the scheme truly failed the Lions. On multiple occasions, the backs were getting stopped in the backfield due to an untouched defender. Edges like Alex Highsmith were crashing down on run plays throughout the day, but the Lions never adjusted. The Lions kept pulling their guards, yet the guards continuously failed to get to their block in time—these were not athletic lapses either, the linemen simply had no time to move laterally. The Lions run game is not executing at any level. Loser: Kelvin Sheppard, DC On average, I actually think that the Lions defense was not half bad against the Steelers. They pressured Aaron Rodgers fairly well and there were some good moments in coverage, in particular from Rock Ya-Sin. However, the bad half was atrocious, and there within lies the problem: they keep giving up backbreaking plays. The Lions are getting stops on early downs. However, when the defense falters, it falters hard. The Steelers had two touchdown runs of 45 yards courtesy of Tyler Warren, as well as a 45-yard touchdown reception by Kenneth Gainwell. On top of that, the defense was allowing multiple third-and-long conversions. The epitome of their struggles came on the final drive of the first half, during which the Steelers methodically drove down the field with third down conversions of 11 yards, 12 yards, and 13 yards, plus the aforementioned 45-yard Gainwell touchdown on second down (and two seconds remaining). Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and his crew and not up to the task of competing in the NFL. The Steelers finished with 481 total yards of offense, and I would wager that 300 of those came on plays over 10 yards. It was chunk play after chunk play for the Steelers. They finished with 230 rushing yards and two touchdowns while averaging 8.5 yards per attempt, yet another week in which the run defense has been horrific—what happened to the dominance from the start of the season? I can only chalk up so many failures to injuries. The Lions have played 15 games this season, we know who they are. They cannot stop explosive plays, even when facing off against a Steelers team that was previously incapable of them. They look outmatched by opposing offenses in every facet. Plain and simple, Kelvin Sheppard has failed them over the last month. Winner: Jared Goff, QB I want to hear zero discussion about replacing Goff next offseason. For as bad as the offense has been this season, rarely has it been Goff’s outright fault. With no blocking and no run game, Goff still managed to put up 364 passing yards and three touchdowns, while also coming an offensive pass interference away from one of the most miraculous game-winning touchdowns in NFL history. Early in his Lions career, Goff was a weak point in the offense—the offense had to work around him. Over the last two seasons, Goff and the offense were a perfect complement of passing and rushing. This season, however, it has been
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 […] 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