Rapid takeaways as Lions suffer devastating loss vs. Steelers

The Detroit Lions (8-7) wound up on the wrong end of a 29-24 heartbreaker at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6) on Sunday evening from Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff completed 34-of-54 passes for 364 yards and three touchdowns. Goff was sacked three times in the game.

On the other end of the ledger, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed 27-of-41 passes for 266 yards and a score.

As the sting takes shape, let's dive into the immediate takeaways from the Lions' loss versus the Steelers.

Lions couldn't come up with enough key third-and-long stops

The Lions' defense has obviously been ravaged by injuries, and that was once again apparent as Pittsburgh carved Detroit up for 481 yards of offense. But, Detroit didn't help itself in key situations, in particular to close the first half and to begin the second half.

Leading 10-3, Detroit surrendered an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive at the end of the first half that featured a 45-yard circus-catch touchdown from Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell.

But, before Gainwell's wild touchdown grab that tied the game going into the halftime break, the Lions allowed the Steelers to convert a trio of third downs of 10, 11 and 10 yards.

That continued in the third quarter where the Lions surrendered two more third-down conversions of longer than nine yards and a pair of fourth-down conversions to the Steelers as well.

The Steelers took control in a dismal Lions third quarter

Speaking of the third quarter, it's where the Steelers took complete command. The Lions couldn't get off the field, and Detroit's lone offensive series in the third quarter was backed up and resulted in a Steelers safety.

In the third quarter, Pittsburgh ran 25 plays for 128 yards as compared to the Lions' three plays for -3 yards and a safety surrendered.

Graham Glasgow's absence proved incredibly costly

Starting center Graham Glasgow's absence was felt in a big way. The Lions' offense didn't ever feel fully in sync as Detroit was limited to a woeful 15 rushing yards on 12 attempts. Lions star running back Jahmyr Gibbs was held to just two rushing yards on seven carries.

Gibbs did have 10 receptions for 66 yards, but he and the Lions weren't themselves on Sunday in a must-win game and that is easily attributed to the situation up front.

Rookie Isaac TeSlaa enjoys his best day as a Lion

Isaac TeSlaa, a rookie third-round pick out of Arkansas, was targeted a career-high seven times, reeling in four grabs for a career-best 52 yards and this terrific 20-yard touchdown strike.

TeSlaa was flagged for offensive pass interference in the game's final chaotic moments, and it wiped out what looked like the go-ahead and surefire game-winning score to Amon-Ra St. Brown. But, there's plenty of debate on whether or not the OPI was warranted.

Jared Goff tries to save Detroit, but can't quite conjure up enough

Goff nearly put on the cape to save Detroit's season, but, ultimately, he just couldn't do quite enough sans the Lions' typical explosive running game. The 6-foot-4, 217-pound quarterback threw for more than 300 yards for the fifth time this season and for the third straight game.

The Lions' record in those contests is now 3-2.

The Lions aren't eliminated from the playoffs, but they're close

Detroit was teetering on the edge entering Week 16, and while they haven't been completely shoved off the cliff just yet, the Lions are as close as close can get to being eliminated from the postseason. Per Next Gen Stats, the Lions now have just a 9% chance to make the playoffs.

The only path in is if the Lions win their final two games at Minnesota and at Chicago and if Green Bay loses its final two games versus Baltimore and at Minnesota.

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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Rapid takeaways as Lions suffer devastating loss vs. Steelers