For a moment, it looked like the Lions were going to score and tie the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

Three consecutive sacks later, Daunte Culpepper was forced to throw a prayer to the end zone.  The prayer went unanswered, and the Steelers escaped Ford Field with a win.

Pittsburgh defeated Detroit, 28-20, in a surprisingly close game between last year’s Super Bowl champions and last season’s 0-16 squad.

But unlike previous games, the Lions finally played a solid game in the second half.  They fought back and refused to ease up when the Steelers started to pull away.  Detroit came close to defeating the Steelers, even with Calvin Johnson exiting the game early because of an injury.

Culpepper threw for 282 yards and a touchdown, but it was the Steelers’ aerial show that beat the Lions.  Ben Roethlisberger passed for 277 yards and three touchdowns, although he also threw an interception that William James returned for a touchdown.

So Detroit came pretty close to beating the defending champions, but still managed to lose the game.  Three things I took from this week’s loss:

Daunte Culpepper was sacked three times in a row to end the Lions' chances of tying the Steelers.

1. Missed opportunities continue to kill the Lions: Detroit had a lot of chances to win this game, but was unable to capitalize.  Several solid drives were ended prematurely when the offense seemed to crumble.  Culpepper threw his only interception of the game on what was a productive Detroit offensive drive. On defense, the ball just didn’t bounce the right way for the Lions.  At one point, Roethlisberger fumbled and it appeared Detroit would recover, but somehow Pittsburgh came up with the football.  Year after year in the NFL, it seems that the good teams manage to catch the breaks throughout the game.  Sunday, the Steelers caught the breaks, and the Lions could not capitalize on opportunities both offensively and defensively.

2. Culpepper played well, but there’s no quarterback controversy here: Sure, Culpepper played a good game.  He almost led Detroit to a victory over a very good Steelers team, but don’t think for a second that Matthew Stafford isn’t this team’s quarterback.  Whether Stafford returns to action next week is still questionable.  But with playoff chances likely gone (they were pretty much gone before the season started), Detroit must keep Stafford under center in order to continue his development.  I don’t think there will be too many fans out there who want Culpepper to start over Stafford.  However, had Culpepper led the Lions to a victory, there would have been a controversy.  Even if Detroit had won the game, starting Stafford for the future would be the right call.

3. Different stories at the line of scrimmage: The offensive and defensive fronts are taking totally different paths.  Defensively, the Lions were able to pressure Roethlisberger, especially in the second half. Detroit had three sacks on the day, and the defense made a few nice stands in the comeback attempt.  On the other side of the ball, the offensive line is an absolute mess.  They were no match for Dick LeBeau’s blitz packages and schemes.  The Steelers sacked Culpepper seven times, including three from James Harrison alone.  Culpepper was sacked four times on the final drive, including on three consecutive plays.  Detroit moved the ball on that drive to the Steelers 21-yard line, but then faced fourth and 34 at the Pittsburgh 45-yard line after the three sacks.  The line was an absolute embarrassment and lost the game for Detroit.

Bonus: C’mon Lions fans, we can do a little bit better.  The Steelers fans with their Terrible Towels completely took over Ford Field.  I know that economic times are tough, and I understand that not everyone can go to the game.  But for those fans at the games, stand up and make some noise!  Ford Field is one of the quietest places to play in the NFL.  Steelers fans travel well, but the Lions fans must get into the game and give the team a little home-field advantage.  Restore the roar!

--STANLEY KAY