The Pittsburgh Steelers will be looking to remain unbeaten when closing out their preseason run on Sunday against the visiting Detroit Lions. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is on the verge of finishing out his fifth consecutive preseason with a winning record. His team eked out a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars after outgunning the Seattle Seahawks in the opener.
Meanwhile, Lions coach Dan Campbell is 1-4 as the team’s head coach in the preseason. Detroit outlasted the Indianapolis Colts in their last outing after dropping a loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The Lions are expected to play their starters for at least a half in the preseason finale against the Steelers. However, there will be no Jared Goff in this matchup.
Sorry, Lions fans.
With the starting quarterback out of action, it’ll be all about David Blough and Tim Boyle once again under center. Both quarterbacks were held under 100 yards passing in their recent outing against the Colts, which forced them to ride the coattails of a committee rushing attack.
It could be another tough afternoon to throw with the Steelers expected to play their starters as well. They still have one of the league’s most terrifying pass rushes, and the backend of their defense can be feisty.
Say what you want about the offense, but the Steelers are still a big, big problem defensively.
The Lions have scored 23-pl us points in back-to-back games, but they’ve also given up 26-plus points. That’s a major concern for a team that ranked second-worst in the league last season in points allowed. They might need to win another shootout to escape Pittsburgh with a win on Sunday. Of course, that’s easier said than done against Steelers defense.