Lions postgame report after dispiriting loss to the Steelers - Week 16, 2025
Bring on the Grinch
After that miserable-in-many-ways loss to the Steelers, I’m feeling much more like the Grinch than Santa this week. Sorry, kids. Hope you like coal.
No presents for the running game which has evaporated lately.
No presents for the pass protection which has gotten Goff hammered all year.
No presents for the run defense which has been repeatedly gashed during the holiday season despite a very healthy front 7.
No presents for the pass defense which at least has the excuse of missing 2 star safeties.
No presents for the coaching staff due to all the self-inflicted errors like wasting time outs because not enough defenders are on the field…
Or wasting time outs because the play isn’t getting called in on time (vs Rams last week). Or missing out on critical route-running details thus exposing yourself to an offensive pass interference pick penalty on the 1 yard line…
At least, the Lions emerged from the game pretty healthy. That’s important because at this point late in the season, any long-term injury can have a major impact on next season (see Brian Branch Achilles).
Here are the injuries I saw during the Steelers game:
Avonte Maddox (2q 15:00) concussion evaluation
Maddox was a touch slow in getting up which is likely what prompted him to be called for a concussion evaluation. There were otherwise no concerning signs on video. He may have landed on the back of his head but it looked pretty benign. He passed the concussion evaluation and finished the game.
Marcus Davenport (2q 4:20 & 4q 13:03) right shoulder aggravation
Davenport missed 2.5 months this season with a right shoulder and/or pec injury. He was clearly bothered by it at multiple points during the game.
Early in the 4th quarter, he was officially listed with a shoulder injury, but he did return late in the game. It would not surprise if Davenport is out for the short-week Christmas game.
As far as Davenport’s future, his 1-year contract will run out and he almost certainly won’t be back.
DJ Reed (3q 1:22) concussion evaluation
Reed gets a facemask full of the gargantuan Steeler TE Darnell Washington. Reed grabbed at his facemask (understandably) afterwards, but there was no obvious loss of consciousness, fencing, or any other concussion signs.
He looked fine coming off the field, passed the concussion check, and finished the game without issue.
Jared Goff (4q 8:45) left foot/ankle stepped on
Goff got stepped on here which was certainly painful. A mild left ankle sprain is possible. He finished the game without sign of disability.
Hopefully, there isn’t much post-game swelling. While it’s possible that his mobility could be affected for the next game which is in 3 days, it shouldn’t affect him too much.
Avonte Maddox (4q 2:09) possible right leg
After the final defensive play, Maddox limped off with a possible right leg issue. Any injury happened off-screen so it’s hard to say what’s going on. Hopefully, it’s something benign like cramps. Since it was the final play, we don’t know if he might have been able to return.
Maddox is the most concerning injury for possibly being long-term given the lack of data.
Amon-Ra St. Brown (4q 00:45)
In the final minute, ARSB took a hard hit and then landed hard on the ground. He was a bit slow in getting up but was able to finish out the last few plays of the game. The main concern here would be delayed concussion symptoms which is unlikely.
TIDBITS
Aidan Hutchinson played 82% of snaps coming off his 79% last game. This is a significant drop from his usual >92% which likely means he is fresher throughout the game. Coincidence that he has 3 sacks in the past 2 games? I think not.
Amik Robertson played with a club on his injured left hand.
Graham Glasgow missed the game as did Trystan Colon. It was Kingsley Eguakun who started at center.
In his first game back from his fibula fracture, Christian Mahogany got beat badly on the 2nd play of the game. Frazier replaced him at the 7 minute mark of 2nd quarter for a quick 3 and out series. Mahogany should gain strength and improve over the final 2 games.