Steelers drop preseason finale to Lions

Fields connected with tight end MyCole Pruitt on a 22-yard gain to the Detroit 2 to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by La’Mical Perrine and a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Fields completed 3 of 4 passes for 40 yards and also ran twice for 4 yards. He was sacked twice, including once in the shotgun when rookie center Zach Frazier appeared to snap the ball before the quarterback was ready.

Tomlin, however, was pleased with what he saw from his top two quarterbacks.

“They both moved the ball,” Tomlin said. “They won possession downs, and we put them all in the end zone, things that we hadn’t done to this point sufficiently enough in the preseason.”

The Lions tied the game in the second quarter, with backup Hendon Hooker, who started the game, leading a 72-yard scoring drive he capped off with a 2-yard TD pass to running back Jake Funk. The Lions then got a strip-sack against Allen at the Pittsburgh 33, turning that into a short TD run by Jermar Jefferson just before the first half ended.

The Lions took the opening kickoff of the second half into the red zone, but rookie placekicker Jake Bates missed a 30-yard field goal attempt.

The Steelers faced third-and-8 after the change of possession, but Allen hooked up with Dez Fitzpatrick on a 59-yard catch-and-run down the sideline to set up a 26-yard field goal by Matthew Wright that gave the Steelers a 17-14 lead with 3:20 remaining in the third quarter.

Veteran cornerback Cam Sutton, signed after his release this offseason by the Lions, intercepted Hooker off a deflected pass on Detroit’s next possession, giving the Steelers the ball back quickly at the Lions’ 45. But on third down, Allen and Jaray Jenkins just missed on a 30-yard completion down the sideline and the Steelers punted the ball back to Detroit.