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Detroit Lions vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Live updates, highlights from preseason finale

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Detroit Lions vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Live updates, highlights from preseason finale


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The final Detroit Lions preseason game has arrived.

The Lions take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field on Saturday afternoon in the final exhibition game of the preseason. It is the final chance for the coaching staff and front office to determine who will make the opening day 53-man roster for the season opener against the Rams in 15 days.

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PREGAME READ: ‘Miracle child’ Mitchell Agude vying for spot with Detroit Lions years after accident

There aren’t many spots left up for grabs on the Lions’ contending-level roster, a testament to the roster overhaul in the last three seasons, but Campbell said earlier this week there were around a half-dozen slots still open. The Lions’ starters will rest, allowing young players and the depth pieces to fight for those spots. Here’s Dave Birkett’s prediction of what the 53-man roster may look like by the deadline at 4 p.m. on Tuesday if you are curious.

[ Lions fans: Get ready for this season by reliving the team’s epic 2023 season with a new book from the Free Press, “From Grit to Glory.” Order now! ]  

This is the only preseason game this year at Ford Field and kicks off at 1 p.m. The game will be aired on Fox 2 in Detroit (WJBK) and streamed on NFL+ and Fubo (free trial) and the 97.1 WXYT-FM radio airwaves.

Follow along below for live updates from Ford Field.

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Detroit Lions vs. Pittsburgh Steelers preseason live updates, highlights

The Lions have had no success on offense in the first half with Hendon Hooker running the show. The Lions went three-and-out again after a third-down sack sank the drive again. This time, left tackle Giovanni Manu was beaten off the edge, forcing Hooker to step up into edge rusher Julius Welschof, who beat center Kingsley Eguakun in the middle. The Lions have seven net yards after four possessions with two first downs and are 2/6 on third-down conversion attempts. The Lions have given up four sacks and Hooker has struggled to find a rhythm navigating the collapsing pocket.

The Steelers quickly turned the fumble into a touchdown to double up the Lions early. Justin Fields came into the game for the second series to replace Russell Wilson under center. The Steelers kept the ball on the ground for all but one play, methodically moving the ball through Lions territory outside of a 22-yard Fields completion to tight end MyCole Pruitt, who slipped behind linebacker Ty Summers while Fields was moving outside of the pocket. After a holding call against defensive tackle Brodric Martin on the goal line, Perine stuffed it home on a read option from a yard out.

Hendon Hooker, making his home debut with the Lions, got the start over Nate Sudfeld to lead the Lions backup offense, but the first possession did not go as planned. The Lions picked up one first down on a nice extended play by Hooker, finding tight end Shane Zylstra, but took three straight sacks on the next set of downs, including a strip sack on third down, giving the ball to Pittsburgh at Detroit’s 35. Herbig got around starting right tackle Colby Sorsdal and slapped Hooker’s arm while he was cocking to throw, jarring it loose.

The Steelers starting offense got things started with a 60-yard touchdown drive lasting just over two minutes. Starting quarterback Russell Wilson converted a 3rd-and-11 with a 32 yard gain on a flag route to George Pickens, who easily separated from corner Essang Bassey. Two plays later, Cordarrelle Patterson took an off-tackle run to the left and made Brandon Joseph miss for the big touchdown run.

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Pregame notes

The Lions will roll with the quarterback duo of Nate Sudfeld and Hendon Hooker as the two continue to battle for the backup spot behind Jared Goff. Campbell said Tuesday the last preseason game is critical for Hooker, who will be playing in his third NFL game ever and had to leave the first preseason game early.

“We want to get (Hooker) a real good look,” Campbell said. “We’d love to get him a lot of reps this week. I think the idea would be, you’d love to start him this week. I’d like to start him, and then it’s just a matter of how much does he play? Is it a couple of series and Nate goes in and then he’s back? Or is it a quarter or is it a half? But he’s going to get a really good look.”

TRENDING: Parents of Detroit Lions draft pick Giovanni Manu witness son play in person for 1st time

Rookie Sione Vaki has been one of the early stars of the first two preseason games as a receiving option out of the backfield and should handle plenty of work against Pittsburgh along with Craig Reynolds, Zonovan Knight and Jermar Jefferson. The depth options at receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond are fighting for a spot and the last game will determine who makes it between options like Donovan Peoples-Jones, Isaiah Williams and Daurice Fountain. The depth pieces on the offensive line, particularly the interior, will also be under a close look to find the last backup for Detroit’s top unit.

On defense, the main competition is at edge rusher and in the secondary. The final safety spot likely comes down to C.J. Moore and Brandon Joseph while Khalil Dorsey, Kindle Vildor and Steven Gilmore fight for a spot at cornerback. Isaac Ukwu, Mitchell Agude and Mathieu Betts will all get extensive playing time at edge to determine the final backups on the defensive line.

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Steelers Open Return Window for Cory Trice

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Steelers Open Return Window for Cory Trice


With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense in a slump, one of their young cornerbacks who is currently on the reserve/injured list could soon be activated and potentially help the team upon his return.

Ahead of their Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts, the Steelers have announced that they’ve opened Cory Trice Jr.’s 21-day practice window while he remains on IR.

Should he not be added to the 53-man roster before that window closes, Trice Jr. will be forced to miss the rest of the season.

Last week, head coach Mike Tomlin responded with a simple, “He is,” when asked if the third-year corner was nearing a return to the practice field.

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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cory Trice Jr.

Jul 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cory Trice Jr. (27) participates in drills during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Trice has dealt with a littany of injuries going all the way back to his days in college at Purdue. He suffered a season-ending ACL injury with the Boilermakers in 2021, and he then slid in the 2023 NFL Draft as a result.

Pittsburgh landed him in the seventh round that year with the No. 241 overall pick, but his rookie campaign was wiped out before it could even truly begin after he tore his ACL during training camp.

Trice Jr. recovered in time to participate in both OTAs and training camp last summer while also appearing in all three preseason contests, earning a 53-man roster spot in the process.

He suited up in each of the Steelers’ first three games of the 2024 season, but he suffered a hamstring injury that kept him on IR until Week 17.

Pittsburgh added a slew of cornerbacks this past offseason, including Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay Jr., Brandin Echols and Donte Kent, but Trice was still in position to earn a roster spot heading into training camp.

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His hamstring affliction, which he suffered on August 1, kept him sidelined during the entire preseason before he was placed on IR at final roster cuts.

The Steelers’ secondary has struggled for essentially the entire season up to this point, but they’ve begun switching things up. They first benched Slay in favor of Echols during their Week 8 matchup with the Green Bay Packers before acquiring Kyle Dugger in a trade from the New England Patriots after DeShon Elliott suffered a knee injury that resulted in him being placed on IR.

Ramsey, Slay, Echols and Joey Porter Jr. are still entrenched as Pittsburgh’s quartet at the cornerback position at the moment, but Trice Jr. has the potential to develop into a useful player for Pittsburgh.

It remains to be seen if he’ll see the field much on defense when, and if, he returns, but he’d be a nice depth piece to have down the stretch.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!

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Pittsburgh-area native riding out Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica says it’s “the scariest thing”

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Pittsburgh-area native riding out Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica says it’s “the scariest thing”


As Hurricane Melissa rips through Jamaica, thousands of locals and visitors are riding it out, including a woman from southwestern Pennsylvania.

As the winds blew and the rain came pouring down in Montego Bay, Antoinette Margita hunkered down in her hotel, filled with anxiety.

“I just don’t know what to expect. I’ve never been through anything like this,” Margita said. “It’s probably the scariest thing.”

From Duquesne, she flew out of Pittsburgh and got to Jamaica on Friday for what was supposed to be a trip celebrating her friend’s birthday. But when there were early signs of a potential storm, her friend decided to stay back.

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“I should have listened to her,” Margita said.

She could not get an early flight out, so she enjoyed the sunshine until Monday night, when the front started to come in and pick up Tuesday morning.

“I kind of feel like I’m in a movie. It’s not real, but it is real,” Margita said. “You can hear like the wind. It’s like whistling. The door sounds like the door is going to come open.”

The hotel gave the guests care packages with lots of water, along with notes on how to ride out the hurricane, instructing them to put a mattress against the window.

So far, so good, as her hotel is running on a generator, but shortly after Melissa made landfall nearly 40 miles away, a little water started flooding under her door.

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“Just thinking positive and just trying to talk to my friends on the phone to get me through it,” Margita said.

As the hours go on, Margita hopes things don’t get worse, waiting for the moment she can fly back to Pittsburgh.

“I just want to come home, honestly, that’s what I want,” Margita said.

Margita was originally supposed to fly out on Tuesday. The flight was, of course, cancelled, as was her new flight for Wednesday. It’s unclear when the airport will reopen.

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Fan suffers ‘life-threatening’ injuries in fall at Pittsburgh Penguins game, officials say

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Fan suffers ‘life-threatening’ injuries in fall at Pittsburgh Penguins game, officials say


The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department confirmed that a fan fell from the upper bowl of PPG Paints Arena during the game between the Penguins and the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 27.

The Department said in a statement posted to Facebook that an adult male fell from the 200 level of the arena at around 7:15 local time, striking a individual located in the suite level below before continuing to fall to the 100 level.

Pittsburgh EMS paramedics transported the individual to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the statement. The person struck on the suite level was evaluated by paramedics on scene and declined transport to the hospital, officials said.

The Penguins said in a statement posted to X that the team and OVG Management Group, which operates the arena, are monitoring the situation and “our concerns remain with the individual and his family at this time.”

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USA TODAY has reached out to OVG Management Group for further comment.

After the game, the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby — who became the ninth player in NHL history to surpass 1,700 career points — seemed more focused on the well-being of the fan who fell than his own personal milestone.

“We just heard someone fell tonight,” Crosby said. “Doesn’t feel right to be talking about points. My thoughts and prayers to that person.”

This is a developing story

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