Most Chaotic End To An NFL Game This Season Gives Steelers A Win And Two Other Teams A Playoff Spot

Pick your word. Chaos, bizarre, wild. 

The end of the Pittsburgh Steelers game at the Detroit Lions was all of that and all of those Sunday afternoon.

"Chaos," Aaron Rodgers said on the CBS broadcast after the game. "I was a part of a game 13 years ago that had this kind of chaos. Those were some replacement referees though."

Final Play Decides Game

So you are aware, the Lions trailed Pittsburgh 29-24. With only eight seconds to play, on fourth-and-goal from the 9-yard line, Lions quarterback Jared Goff completed an 8-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. 

St. Brown was stopped short of the end zone, but he found a way to lateral the football to Goff, who scored a touchdown.

Ford Field erupted. Lions win!

But, no!

Flags on the field. 

Bottom Line: Steelers Hold On

The zebras huddled for several minutes. The Steelers came off their sideline claiming they had won the game. The crowd roared for a Lions win. 

Lions players tried to lobby their side as the officials continued their discussion. Eventually, officials explained it to coaches.

"I was trying to read [referee] Carl [Cheffers'] lips and see what he was saying and saw him mouth, 'OPI' and 'end of the game,' so I felt pretty confident that's what was going to happen," Rodgers said. "But you never know."

And then the ruling.

Yes, touchdown by Goff. But no touchdown because St. Brown was flagged for offensive pass interference, before anything ever happened – before he caught the ball, before he lateraled, before Goff scored.

So the touchdown was nullified. The game was over.

Steelers win!

Lions coach Dan Campbell didn't want to get into the gory details of that last play, nor did he rip the officiating. 

"It's not going to change anything," Campbell said. "We still lost."

"You can't feel sorry for yourself, it doesn't mean it doesn't sting, or we don't feel bad. But we have no one to blame but ourselves. It's on us, and it's also on us to finish. We've got two to go."

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - DECEMBER 21: Head coach Mike Tomlin walks off the field with Aaron Rodgers #8 and Cameron Heyward #97 of the Pittsburgh Steelers after beating the Detroit Lions 29-24 at Ford Field on December 21, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

Explanation From Gene Steratore

Let's go to OutKick officiating guru Gene Steratore for an explanation. Wait, Steratore does not actually work for OutKick.

But in these crazy times, what the heck:

"In the NFL, offensive fouls with time expired do not extend," Steratore said. "I was looking to see and they may have been discussing whether there was progress on St. Brown and whether there was time, but once Carl Cheffers said the ruling was touchdown, we knew that time had expired.

"The game was at zero whenever Goff scored and we don't extend the game with zeroes on the clock."

Get it? 

Well, some players and coaches on either side did not even after the game. But they understood this:

Playoff Ramifications As 49ers, Bears Clinch

The result does not eliminate the Lions from the playoffs, but almost. The only way they make the playoffs is if they win their final two games and the Green Bay Packers lose their final two games.

The Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers clinched a playoff spot with the Detroit loss. The Bears played on Saturday and the 49ers play on Monday Night Football.

And the Steelers continue to hold serve in leading the AFC North.