Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff made it clear after Sunday’s loss that he is not pointing fingers at the officials, even though several late calls played a major role in the outcome and left Detroit’s postseason chances hanging by a thread.

The Steelers improved to 9–7 with a thrilling 29–24 victory at Ford Field, tightening their hold on the AFC North in the process. While the ending sparked controversy due to key officiating decisions, the result significantly damaged the Lions’ playoff outlook.

Detroit nearly pulled off an impressive rally after trailing by 12 points with less than five minutes remaining. The Lions appeared to score what would have been go-ahead touchdowns twice in the closing moments, but both plays were wiped off the board by offensive pass interference penalties, halting their comeback attempt.

The game also featured an earlier sideline incident involving Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf, who later received a two-game suspension.

Afterward, the officiating crew was required to clarify its late-game rulings. Despite frustration among fans and players, Goff resisted the urge to criticize the referees.
“Their job isn’t easy, and I’m not going to make excuses,” Goff said after the game. “We’ve benefited from calls before, and we’ve also been hurt by them. That’s just how it goes.”

Goff admitted he questioned one of the interference calls but acknowledged that officiating decisions often come down to judgment.

“The play involving TeSlaa felt a little more debatable to me,” he added. “But they’re going to make their calls. If we were on the other side of it, we’d probably be praising them. It hurts, and you wish things went differently, but that’s football.”
The first controversial flag erased a one-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Officials ruled that rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa committed offensive pass interference on what was essentially a pick play, making contact with a Steelers defender beyond the allowed distance from the line of scrimmage.
Later, on the final snap of the game, Detroit faced fourth-and-goal from the nine-yard line.

Goff found St. Brown, who was stopped just short of the end zone by a strong tackle from Joey Porter Jr. St. Brown then lateraled the ball back to Goff, who crossed the goal line, seemingly sealing a dramatic win. However, another flag was thrown during the scramble.

After a lengthy discussion, officials initially signaled a touchdown but ultimately ruled that St. Brown had committed pass interference by pushing off the defender. Because the clock had expired, the penalty ended the game under NFL rules.
The decision left Lions players stunned as their playoff hopes took a significant hit.

Detroit is now eliminated from division title contention, trailing the 11–4 Chicago Bears and sitting behind the 9–5–1 Green Bay Packers, who currently hold the final NFC Wild Card spot.
The Lions will try to regroup when they face the Minnesota Vikings, who enter the matchup at 7–8, on Christmas Day.