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Steelers Hold Off Matthew Stafford, Lions Behind JuJu Smith-Schuster's Big Night
October 30, 2017
The Pittsburgh Steelers utilized a bend-but-don't-break approach on defense to earn a 20-15 road victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.
Despite totaling 482 yards from scrimmage, the Lions were unable to get into the end zone, and five Matt Prater field goals weren't enough to come away with a home win.
JuJu Smith-Schuster took care of business on the other side of the field with 193 receiving yards in a career day to help the Steelers move to 6-2 heading into a bye. The Lions fell to 3-4 with the loss, including a 1-3 record at home.
Breakout Game for JuJu
Smith-Schuster had made big plays all season, but Sunday was his introduction to the national audience.
With Martavis Bryant inactive due to his recent social media activity, the rookie came through with a 41-yard catch on the first play from scrimmage and didn't slow down from there. He ended with seven catches for 193 yards and a score.
The highlight was a 97-yard touchdown reception that was the longest in Steelers history, per ESPN Stats & Info. The NFL tweeted out the long catch and run:
The 20-year-old quickly made a lot of new fans:
On a night where Le'Veon Bell (76 rushing yards) and Antonio Brown (70 receiving yards) were relatively quiet, Smith-Schuster stole the show.
Stafford Carries Lions Offense
It isn't a surprise to see the Lions struggle to move the ball on the ground, but Matthew Stafford took care of business through the air to keep his team competitive.
Even though he didn't throw a touchdown, he still went 27-of-43 for 423 passing yards on the night.
Matt Williamson of theScore succinctly described the performance:
Stafford spread the ball around to nine different players, three of whom totaled at least 80 receiving yards. Marvin Jones led the way with 128 yards on six catches, but the quarterback was the true standout in the game.
His counterpart, Ben Roethlisberger, finished with 317 passing yards and a touchdown, but he wasn't quite as sharp and relied on his playmakers to shoulder the load.
Red-Zone Struggles Decide Game
Neither team had any trouble moving the ball in the first half, with big plays leading to 445 combined yards from scrimmage at halftime. However, turnovers and struggles in the red zone led to a low-scoring battle, with the Lions up 12-10 early.
Prater went 4-for-4 on field goals in the opening 30 minutes to keep the home team in front. He finished 5-for-5 in the game.
Chris Adamski of the Tribune-Review summed up the action:
It didn't change much in the second half, with the field goals piling on and both teams struggling to get into the end zone.
The Steelers scored touchdowns on one of their three red-zone trips, while the Lions went 0-of-5.
While both teams had their problems in the red zone, the Lions ultimately cost themselves with failed attempts to score a touchdown.
Detroit got the ball to the Steelers' 1-yard line in the third quarter but was stopped on three straight plays to come away with zero points on the 10-play drive.
Bob Pompeani of KDKA TV discussed the goal-line stand:
The Lions made three trips inside the opposing 10-yard line on their final four drives but came away with just three points.
That wound up costing them the game:
The Steelers defense made its final fourth-down stop inside the two-minute warning, and the offense held on for the narrow win.
Pittsburgh will now have a well-deserved bye in Week 9 before returning in Week 10 with a road game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Lions have an important battle coming up in Week 9 with a road trip to face the Green Bay Packers. Although the division rivals will be without Aaron Rodgers, they are coming off a bye. This will be just the second NFC North game of the year for Detroit.