An absolutely wild end to the 4 p.m. slate of games saw one of the wildest endings in recent memory. As the Detroit Lions faced a 12-point deficit against the Pittsburgh Steelers with just five minutes remaining in the game, they were able to make a miraculous comeback, only to fall short after a wild sequence.
As the football world tried to make sense of what had happened, the end result was that the Steelers walked away with a 29-24 victory, leaving the home fan base disappointed. Immediately afterwards, analysts from across the league attempted to explain what had transpired in that situation.
Analysts Go Crazy Over Wild Ending in Lions vs. Steelers
A missed field goal from Pittsburgh paved the way for the Lions to mount a furious comeback in the final two minutes of the game. Going down the length of the field, they went as far as the 1-yard line.
However, an offensive pass interference and another penalty on the line of scrimmage pushed them back to the 11-yard line. Going for four consecutive passing plays, they weren’t able to make magic happen.
On the final play, though, things broke down in a bizarre manner. Amon-Ra St.Brown caught the ball at the 1-yard line, but couldn’t get it done, as flags flew in for what looked like another obvious offensive pass interference.
Rather than going down, Brown tossed the ball to Goff, who leaped over the Steelers’ defense to get the touchdown. As pandemonium ensued, fans anxiously waited for the referee’s final decision.
Ultimately, the announcement came through, and it left the entirety of Motor City disappointed. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated began his breakdown with a joke, “They’re having a full on referee’s convention in Detroit.”
Offensive penalty on the Lions with no time left on the clock so that means the game is over pic.twitter.com/rPnmqDwlzk
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) December 22, 2025
He then added, “What a weird ending. The Steelers are now 9-6, and the Lions are 8-7. The game finishes with a Detroit touchdown overturned by the Lions’ second OPI flag of that series. Unreal.”
As the collective anguish from the crowd could be felt across the monitors, one fan had a hilarious joke at the officials’ expense. “Those refs better RUN out of that stadium.” Even on rewatch, the sequence of plays is not easy to make sense of.
Offensive penalty on the Lions with no time left on the clock so that means the game is over pic.twitter.com/rPnmqDwlzk
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) December 22, 2025
Moving along, Breer explained just how rare the ruling truly was. “So they call OPI away from the play, which is strange. I don’t even know what to say. Aaron Rodgers just compared it to the Fail Mary to Tracy Wolfson on the field.”
For a Detroit team that has looked like one of the best in the NFC over the last two years, this loss has significantly handicapped them in their playoff push. With their hopes extinguished, there is a possibility that large-scale changes come to the roster if they miss out on a postseason berth entirely.
As RJ Ochoa lamented, “That is such an awful way for the Lions to lose,” it was hard to disagree with his assessment.
