It's a tradition for a quarterback to give his offensive line a nice Christmas gift. A thank you to an underappreciated position group whose primary job is to protect the QB. This season, Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff gifted his offensive line golf carts.
He should ask for them back.
In the Lions' devastating 29-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Goff and the offense struggled to find their groove for most of the game. Goff was sacked three times, including once for a safety. That safety killed any momentum the Lions had gained after linebacker Jack Campbell came up with a clutch redzone fumble, with the game still tied at ten points apiece.
Goff was hit nine times in the loss. To add insult to injury, Goff's foot was accidentally stepped on by returning guard Christian Mahogany, who was being pushed into Goff by a Steelers defender. Goff had a slight limp afterward, but it did not appear to affect him afterward.
For the second consecutive week, the Lions were held scoreless in the third quarter with negative total yards. The Lions held the ball for only 51 seconds during the entire third quarter. Their first drive in the fourth quarter? -5 yards in 33 seconds, which included a five-yard false start penalty out of RG Tate Ratledge.
That Ratledge penalty was the first Lions penalty on offense, which, of course, would not remain the case for the remainder of the game. The Lions did battle back, with a great fourth quarter out of Goff putting the Lions in a position to win. After a would-be touchdown by wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was nullified by an offensive pass interference by WR Isaac TeSlaa, center Kingsley Eguakun flinched enough for a false start penalty.
The Lions were initially first and goal on the Steelers' one-yard line. Two penalties later, backed up on the Steelers' 16. The Lions' comeback attempt would eventually fall short, thanks to yet another offensive pass interference penalty.
The OL couldn't help out the run
It's not just the passing game the OL needs to take care of. The Lions are heavily reliant on their run game, and they need their OL to create holes for running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
The Lions had 15 yards rushing the entire game across 12 rushes. That's not a typo, either. Gibbs had a total of two rushing yards in seven rushes, while Montgomery had 14 yards on four carries. Goff, the lone other rusher, lost a yard in his only rush. By comparison, Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers, 41, had nine rushing yards in his return to Detroit since leaving the Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, tight end Jonnu Smith had 28 rushing yards late in the game.
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The Steelers' defensive line, without future Hall of Famer T.J. Watt (lung), was dominant against the Lions' OL just like they were against De'Von Achane and the Miami Dolphins last week. As if every player on their line were just clones of Watt. Whether it was miscommunication, missed assignments, or a talent disparity out of the Lions' OL, Steelers defenders frequently made it to the backfield with minimal resistance. On top of the previously mentioned three sacks and nine QB hits, the Steelers had seven tackles for loss.
In hindsight, Goff gifting his OL golf carts might've been prophetic. With a slim chance of making the playoffs now, those OL players could get plenty of use out of those carts with an earlier-than-expected start to the offseason.