Did all that "Riverboat Ron" talk make Jim Schwartz jealous? Did he see Mike Tomlin on the other side of the field making inexplicable decisions and not want to be outdone? With his team leading the Steelers, 27-23, the Lions head coach was all set to kick a field goal on 4th-and-5 at the 12:56 mark in the fourth quarter. He decided to go for the fake ... in a downpour ... with a rookie punter.
Lions fake field goal goes awry, predictably
The Lions could have gone up by seven points with a field goal. Jim Schwartz wanted more.
Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Predictably, it didn't work. Lions punter Sam Martin tried an off tackle run. He fumbled it at the three-yard line.
Three points there would have given the Lions a seven-point lead. A wider margin that it looks given Pittsburgh’s offensive struggles in this game. Did we mention it was raining? It was.
On the other hand, turning the ball over at the three-yard line still leaves 97 yards for the Steelers to drive. No sure thing. But given the back-and-forth in this one, Detroit’s best bet was to take the points here.
The Steelers managed to go the length of the field and score a touchdown. That gave Pittsburgh a 30-27 lead.
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