DETROIT — Entering the 2024 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers had won six consecutive preseason games, nine of their last 10, and 18 of their last 22. The last time they had a losing record in the preseason was 2016.
This time around, they went winless. After dropping their first two outings while looking anemic on offense, the Steelers lost to the Detroit Lions, 24-17 on Saturday, despite strong performances by the first teams on both sides of the ball.
The Steelers hadn’t gone winless in the preseason since 2006, and they went 0 for the preseason for just the fourth time in team history.
Saturday’s trip to Detroit started out extremely promising. Russell Wilson connected with George Pickens on a 32-yard strike on third down and Cordarrelle Patterson took an innocent-looking handoff 31 yards to the house as the Steelers scored in just five plays after taking the opening kickoff.
The starting defense held up its end of the bargain, as well. Despite laying without T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Alex Highsmith and Joey Porter Jr., the Steelers dominated the line of scrimmage. The first Detroit possession ended with three consecutive sacks. Nick Herbig got to Hendon Hooker first, then Keeanu Benton and Larry Ogunjobi teamed up for a sack, and then Herbig stripped Hooker for another sack, with Dean Lowry falling on the football.
Wilson gave way to Justin Fields, who also led an efficient attack. He completed passes to Van Jefferson and a beauty over the middle to MyCole Pruitt to set the Steelers up in the red zone, and La’Mical Perine plunged in from 1 yard out to make it 14-0.
Wilson finished 2 for 2 for 26 yards, while Fields was 3 for 4 for 40.
It wasn’t until late in the second quarter, when all of the Pittsburgh starters had exited, that the Lions pushed back. Hooker found Jake Funk for a 2-yard score and then after a Kyle Allen fumble Jermar Jefferson scored on a short run to capitalize on the short field.
Jefferson scored again early in the fourth quarter, as the Steelers third-team defense struggled to contain the dual-threat running game of Hooker and the Detroit backs.
The Steelers’ last offensive chance was ruined by penalties, as Joey Fisher was called for being downfield illegally to negate a fourth-down completion from John Rhys Plumlee to Quez Watkins. Fisher false started on the next play, and the Steelers punted just before the two-minute warning.
The Steelers did not get the ball back, with the Lions running the clock out for the preseason victory.
The Steelers have next weekend off before heading to Atlanta for their regular-season opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 8