Kickoff for the Lions-Steelers preseason finale is soon! Come live chat with us for the first half here.
The Detroit Lions preseason will finally come to an end on Saturday afternoon. Detroit hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers in the preseason finale. It’s the first time the Lions will play in Ford Field since their iconic win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.
The hero of that game—linebacker Derrick Barnes—isn’t likely to play in this preseason finale, nor are most (if not, all) of the team’s starters . They got their work in earlier in the week during Detroit’s own scrimmage on Wednesday. Now it is time for the reserves to shine.
The final preseason game may not seem like much to the fans, but for some players, it’s the difference between being employed and looking for a new line of work. That may seem dramatic, but it’s true. I think back to Kerry Hyder’s incredible finish to the preseason in 2016 that earned him an improbable spot on the 53-man roster and eventually an 8.0 sack season that year. Eight years later, Hyder has made an impressive career in the NFL. Was it all because of that preseason game? Probably not, but it still speaks to the importance of these contests.
The Lions have several players on the roster bubble who will be fighting for jobs on Saturday afternoon. You can check what we believe to be their current statuses here (offense) and here (defense) .
But for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the final preseason game of the 2024 Lions season knowing that real football is just two weeks away.
Scroll down to the comment section to chat during the final preseason game, and be on the lookout for the second-half open thread coming at halftime.