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The Detroit Lions lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in one of the season’s most chaotic finishes.
Penalty flags plagued the Lions’ final drive as Amon-Ra St. Brown was called for offensive pass interference on the final play, negating the lateral touchdown to Jared Goff. Five games earlier, a St. Brown touchdown taken off the board thanks to an Isaac TeSlaa penalty.
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Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions and wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa #18 celebrate a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field on December 21, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
Former New York Jets coach Rex Ryan suggested that the TeSlaa penalty was a farce and that the St. The Brown touchdown should have counted.
“They got the last one right, but they definitely got the previous death — wrong,” Ryan said on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “The defensive guy on the St. Brown touchdown, he’s the guy who initiated the contact on TeSlaa. He initiated the contact. It’s a terrible call and unfortunately it cost the Lions a win here and probably a playoff spot. So yeah, it’s cruel right here.”
Ryan said that St. Brown’s offensive pass interference penalty looked him right in the eye.
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Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell speaks with officials after the final play of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
“Now, on the last one, it was obviously a PI by Amon-Ra St. Brown. Yeah, he goes in and as soon as he extends with both hands, it’s a penalty. … What St. Brown has to do in that situation is understand that this is going to be a three-man rush by Pittsburgh. And honestly, it was just a two-man time, you don’t need to have plenty of time And that’s unfortunately the result.
“There’s no two ways about it. The first one for St. Brown was a touchdown. An absolute touchdown.”
Jared Goff agreed with Ryan on the TeSlaa penalty.
“It’s a bad call,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to make any excuses for the team’s loss.
Detroit’s playoff chances took a big hit because of the loss. There is still hope, but it is minimal.
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“We know the percentages. We know we’re not eliminated. We know some things have to go our way,” Goff said. “I know who we are. I know who we can be. Certain games we haven’t been firing on all cylinders.”
