Stillers 29, Lions 24...... Dec 21, 2025 …………Game # 15
Stillers-Lions Postgame Analysis and Grades
The 8-6 Stillers mosied a bit north and west to the Motor City to face the 8-6 Lions. Game tied at the half, 10-10. The Stillers appeared to have a commanding lead midway thru the 4Q, but then the vaunted, highest paid D in the NFL got gashed and carved for a TD and then a march down to the 2 yard line, in which DET had the apparent GW TD, only to be negated by a cheezy, absurdly ticky-tack OPI flag on an unintentional intentional pick play. The Stillers held on for a thin 29-24 win.
Grades:
QB: Rodgers got the start. Pretty solid overall game, going 27 of 41 for 266 yards and no INTs. Good pocket presence and plenty of good, on-target passes. A-
RB:
Warren – Big 45-yard TD scamper, early 4Q. Had another big scamper for another 45-yard TD, mid 4Q. A
Kaleb J. – healthy scratch for the 1st time all season. I wasn’t happy about this.
Gainwell – made a spectacular grab on a deep lob, late 2Q, and then had the presence of mind to get up and saunter into the EZ for a huge TD before halftime. Had 5 grabs and also ran the ball well. A
FB: Conn Hey saw a modicum of snaps at FB.
WR:
Metcalf – dropped a cake-easy IN pass, late 2Q. Flagged for OPI a few plays later. Nice backshoulder fade grab in the 4Q. Had 4 grabs for 42. Got into a tussle of sorts with a fan in the front row of the bleachers, which was caught on camera and looked rather hideous.
Austin – snared an 8 yard out on 3d & 5, late 1Q. injured a ham mid-game and played sparingly.
Wilson – PeePee was a healthy scratch. LMAO !!
Skowronek – rarely played at WR.
Scott Miller – grabbed a slant for 5 yards on 4th & 2, 3Q. Then made a stellar grab along the sidelines on 3d & 4 a few plays later. His 3 grabs might be a career high. B+
Thielen – grabbed a 0-step hitch for 6 yards, late 1Q. Gained 12 on 3d & 11, late 2Q. Moved the chains on 3d & 10, early 3Q. Had 4 grabs for 49 in a nice effort. A
MVS – almost hauled in a deep ball TD, 3Q, on a touch but catchable ball. Had 1 grab for 6 yards.
TE:
Pat FryBoy – solid 1H, with 3 grabs. Finished with 4 grabs. B
Jonnu Smith – was thrown a short pass that got batted by a LB. Flagged for an illegal block, 7:00 4Q, which negated a 6 yard pickup on 1st down. Good run on end-around, late 4Q, for about 16. B-
Darnell – short pass, 1st series, CLANGED off his hands. Moved the chains 2 plays later. Coughed up the ball at the DET 2 yard line, 3Q. Flagged for OPI, late 3Q, which negated the short TD pass to DK. The penalty and flag really hamper his grade. C-
Con Heyward – thankfully wasn’t targeted.
OL: Overall, the line (Cook, Peat, Frazier McCormick, Fautanu) had a pretty good game. Seumalo sat out due to injury. Superb blocking on the 2 long TD runs by Warren, and there were plenty of holes opened in the ground game. The pass pro was pretty darned good as well.
Fautanu got abused by Hutch on a 3d & 4, 4:20 2Q, for a sack. Very ugly.
Calvin Anderson lined up offsides on 1st & goal, late 3Q. Overall grade: A-
DL:
Heyward – got blown off the ball on the 17-yard run up LG, 2d series.
Got a slop asst on 3 yard shuffle pass, late 1Q. Got a Dong Sack, mid 2Q, after Goff had shuffled out of the pocket. Had 1 solo, 1 A at the half.
Wasn’t even in the game on the 3rd down TD at 6:30 4Q, because, as the CBS sideline announcer said, he was gassed. What a pilo manure. Finished with 2 solos, 2 As in a meek, subpar effort. C-
Benton – was pretty much unblocked and got a sack, 2d play of game. Did little thereafter. C+
Harmon – Zero solos, but may have helped bottle the DET rushing attack.
YaYa Black – almost got an INT, late 4Q, with a good pass bust-up. .
LB:
Queen – Way too soft and timid on the 3d & 12 dumpoff to Raymond, 2d series, which gained 13 when it should have been stopped well short of the sticks. Had 4 solos and 3 As in a humdrum effort. C
Pey Wilson – Didn’t do much. Had 4 solos in a quiet effort. C
Watt – again sat out with the lung.
Highsmith – Got a slop assist at the end of a 17 (seventeen) yard run, 5:27 1Q.
Came in completely UNTOUCHED for a Dong solo of the RB, 13:00 2Q. Came in Untouched again, 3 plays later, when the ass-clumsy OG tried to pull and block…..but was a good 1 second too late. Had 2 solos, 2 As at the half.
Got an easy solo, 10:20 3Q, on a dumpoff to the RB who was literally 2 feet from the sidelines. Got a slop solo after allowing a short grab to the TE, who was just 2 years from the sideline chalk, 10:25 4Q. Correctly flagged for tripping, of all things, late in the game to give DET a 1st down at the PIT 36. Got a deflection of the ball on the next play after Goff held the ball forever. Tripper Alex had 4 solos, 2 As in a lukewarm effort that wasn’t even 20% as good as Tony Schmomo was crowing about. C-
Herbig – sat out due to a hamstring.
Malik Harrison – Made a few stops.
Holcomb – played a little; did little.
Sawyer – Came in unblocked and dropped the RB for a 3 yard loss, 2d series. Flagged for a hold, declined, 2Q. Good late game coverage on the TE on an Inc pass. Had 3 solos, 2 As. Played adequately. B
DB
Joey Porter Jr. - busted up the 4th & goal pass, 2d series. Got scorched on a deep out, 21 yards, 13:20 2Q. Got nicked up on a harmless pass bust=-up, 12:00 4Q. He came back 2 plays later. Solid game. B+
Jalen Ramsey - busted up a couple plays. B+
Dugger – got a sack and safety, 3Q. Was pretty active. B
Echols – got injured 9groin), late 2Q.
Samuel Jr. – got scorched by Raymond on the 4th & 2, mid 4Q, for a grisly 27-yard TD. Very poor. C-
Peppers – mostly played spec teams.
Pierre – out with a calf.
Clark – got abused on the Tesla TD, late 2Q. Dropped a fairly easy INT, early 4Q. Busted up a pass, 5:46 4Q. B-
Spec teams:
Waitman – punted solidly. Had to punt only 3 times.
Boswell – Nailed a 59-yard FG, 1st series. Made a mid-range FG. Had a chance to make it an 8-point lead deep into the 4Q, but his 37 yard FG clanged off right the upright. C
Good stop in KO coverage by Pey Wilson on the opening boot. Ben Skow was flagged for staying OOB in punt coverage, early 2Q. Samuel was flagged for a blatant block to the back on a DET punt, mid 2Q.
OC: Art Smith had the luxury of facing a DET secondary missing 3 starters.
3d & 6, 10:00 3Q, and King Arthur calls a sissified screen to FryBoy that gained 3 yards.
3d & G at the 7, late 3Q, and King Arthur calls a goofy screen to Warren that gained 3 yards.
I despised the called pass play at 2:15 4Q, which Rodgers got harassed into a throwaway, which stopped the clock. A plunge for no gain would have set up the chipshot 37-yard FG, without stopping the clock and thereby giving DET a freebie TO. B
DC: Austin’s D did a solid job of bottling DET’s ground game, although DET literally abandoned its rushing game about 6 minutes into the game.
After a called PIT TO on 4th & 2, mid 4Q, Austin allows an easy pitch and catch to Raymond for a walk-in TD. A stop here would have basically salted this game away. Then Austin got gashed and carved for the late-game march, which culminated in a GW TD, were it not for a ridiculous OPI flag with 22 secs left in the game. That 4Q defense sucked buttock. D+
HC: Mike Asslin will be all proud over this flimsy W, in which he was gifted the win on a phantom OPI pick play that occurs literally 8 times a game in EVERY NFL game. I despised how this team folded like a cheap lawn chair during the final 8 minutes of the game. No excuses. D
Synopsis: A gratuitous win aided by a phantom OPI called (the first OPI, not the 2nd) that negated the GW Det TD. The Stillers are now 9-6. Beware this next game at Clev, which, for the Clev fans, is their Sup Bowl. This won’t be a cake walk by ANY means, and it could also be a trap game with this PIT team looking too far ahead to the Poebirds.
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