On Sunday afternoon, the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers played their final preseason game for the NFL. It was hardly the kind of game that gave the Detroit visitors confidence as they tried to make one last good impression before the final roster reductions.
The Steelers won 19-9 because rookie Kenny Pickett was a far superior No. 2 quarterback than the Detroit Lions who committed far less errors than they did. Pickett was outstanding. Tim Boyle and David Blough from the Lions performed unremarkably.
Even for preseason, Boyle’s performance was terrible. Jared Goff’s replacement, Boyle, completed 5-of-15 throws for 64 yards and an interception, despite the Steelers DB appearing to be the intended receiver on the pass.
Although playing against players who won’t be in Pittsburgh after Tuesday’s deadline for roster trimming, Blough mostly struggled as well. Nevertheless, he put together an impressive late drive.
The Lions’ first-team defense held up despite the offense accomplishing virtually nothing as the Steelers sprinted out to a 16-0 halftime lead. After those shaky drive starts, Detroit’s offense found it difficult to advance the ball on first downs.
A number of players thought to be on the Lions roster edge made an impressive debut. Among them are CB Chase Lucas, OG Logan Stenberg, and RB Justin Jackson. However, a great deal too many did not, and this goes well beyond quarterbacks. With the ball in the air, a few defensive backs shown a lack of awareness.