Detroit  14

 Pittsburgh 47 

SCORING

	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	Final
Detroit	7	7	0	0	14
Pittsburgh	14	13	10	10	47

Scoring

1ST QUARTER

PIT - TD, JASON GILDON 27 YD FUMBLE RETURN (KRIS BROWN KICK), 0:27. PITTSBURGH 7-0 DET - TD, DAVID SLOAN 10 YD PASS FROM MIKE MCMAHON (JASON HANSON KICK), 5:04. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards in 4:37. Key plays: McMahon 14-yard pass to Morton to Detroit 39; McMahon 7-yard pass to Emanuel on 3rd-and-2 to Pittsburgh 46; Warren 34-yard run to Pittsburgh 12. DETROIT 7, PITTSBURGH 7 PIT - TD, MATT CUSHING 4 YD PASS FROM KORDELL STEWART (KRIS BROWN KICK), 12:21. Drive: 14 plays, 77 yards in 7:17. Key plays: Stewart 23-yard pass to Edwards on 3rd-and-21 to Pittsburgh 34; Stewart 6-yard pass to Ward on 3rd-and-4 to Pittsburgh 46; Stewart 12-yard pass to Burress to Detroit 42; Stewart 20-yard pass to Edwards on 3rd-and-11 to Detroit 8. PITTSBURGH 14-7

2ND QUARTER

PIT - TD, KORDELL STEWART 2 YD RUN (PAT FAILED), 1:25. Drive: 6 plays, 15 yards in 3:06. Key plays: Holmes recovery of McMahon fumble of Detroit 15. PITTSBURGH 20-7 PIT - TD, HINES WARD 5 YD PASS FROM KORDELL STEWART (KRIS BROWN KICK), 11:32. Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards in 3:29. Key plays: Stewart 20-yard pass to Burress to Detroit 42; Stewart 19-yard run to Detroit 24; Fuamatu-Ma'fala 16-yard run to Detroit 8. PITTSBURGH 27-7 DET - TD, DAVID SLOAN 1 YD PASS FROM MIKE MCMAHON (JASON HANSON KICK), 14:34. Drive: 11 plays, 69 yards in 3:02. Key plays: McMahon 16-yard pass to Emanuel to Pittsburgh 49; McMahon 12-yard pass to Morton to Pittsburgh 17. PITTSBURGH 27-14

3RD QUARTER

PIT - FG, KRIS BROWN 37 YD, 3:04. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards in 3:04. Key plays: Stewart 54-yard pass to Fuamatu-Ma'afala to Detroit 24. PITTSBURGH 30-14 PIT - TD, PLAXICO BURRESS 19 YD PASS FROM KORDELL STEWART (KRIS BROWN KICK), 6:14. Drive: 4 plays, 55 yards in 2:16. Key plays: Stewart 25-yard pass to Ward to Detroit 30. PITTSBURGH 37-14

4TH QUARTER

PIT - FG, KRIS BROWN 31 YD, 7:27. Drive: 8 plays, 32 yards in 4:27. Key plays: Fuamatu-Ma'afala 25-yard run on 4th-and-4 to Detroit 14. PITTSBURGH 40-14 PIT - TD, TOMMY MADDOX 5 YD RUN (KRIS BROWN KICK), 13:52. Drive: 7 plays, 29 yards in 4:21. Key plays: Pittsburgh takes over on downs at Detroit 29; Bowers 9-yard run to Detroit 17. PITTSBURGH 47-14

PLAYER STATISTICS

PASSING
Detroit	Cmp	Att	Yds	Td	Int		Pittsburgh	Cmp	Att	Yds	Td	Int
Mcmahon	12	28	118	2	1		K Stewart	17	26	226	3	0

RUSHING
Detroit	Att	Yards		Pittsburgh	Att	Yards
Warren	9	48		Fuamatu-maafala	26	126
Mcmahon	2	21		Zereoue	2	34
C Schlesinger	3	2		K Stewart	4	22
Cason	2	2		Kreider	2	12
J Stewart	2	1		Maddox	2	4
				Bowers	7	17

RECEIVING
Detroit	Att	Yards		Pittsburgh	Att	Yards
Sloan	4	32		Ward	7	67
Emanuel	3	35		Burress	4	56
Morton	2	26		Fuamatu-maafala	2	53
Warren	1	15		Edwards	2	43
C Schlesinger	1	7		Cushing	2	7
Anderson	1	3

TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS (UNOFFICIAL)
Detroit	T	A	S		Pittsburgh	T	A	S
K Schulz	6	7	0		Gildon	6	0	2
Claiborne	6	6	0		K Bell	4	2	0
Campbell	4	4	1		Flowers	5	0	1
Aldridge	5	2	0		Jones	3	1	0
Kriewaldt	2	4	0		Holmes	2	2	1
Lyght	3	2	0		Hampton	0	4	0
Green	2	3	0		Von Oelhoffen	3	0	0
Hall	3	1	0		Alexander	2	0	0
Kirschke	1	3	0		Porter	2	0	1
Porcher	2	1	0		Scott	2	0	0
S Rogers	2	1	0		A Smith	2	0	1
Elliss	2	0	0		Townsend	1	0	0
Scroggins	2	0	0		Logan	1	0	0
Pritchett	1	0	0		Washington	1	0	0
Mcelroy	1	0	0
Cason	0	1	0
Wyrick	0	1	0

MISSED FIELD GOALS

Detroit (Hanson 48); Pittsburgh (K Brown 48).

INTERCEPTIONS

Pittsburgh (Washington 1 for 15 yards).

FUMBLES LOST

Detroit (Mcmahon 2).

OPPONENT'S FUMBLES RECOVERED

Pittsburgh (Holmes, Gildon).

A: 62,809; T: 3:01.

TEAM STATISTICS DET PIT

FIRST DOWNS                    11             25
Rushing                         2             15
Passing                         8             10
Penalty                         1              0
3RD-DOWN EFFICIENCY          5-13           8-14
4TH-DOWN EFFICIENCY           0-2            1-1
TOTAL NET YARDS               151            429
Total plays                    52             70
Average gain                  2.9            6.1
NET YARDS RUSHING              74            215
Rushes                         18             43
Average per rush              4.1            5.0
NET YARDS PASSING              77            214
Completed-attempted         12-28          17-26
Yards per pass                2.3            7.9
Sacked-yards lost            6-41           1-12
Had intercepted                 1              0
PUNTS-AVERAGE              4-40.5         1-39.0
RETURN YARDAGE                182             92
Punts-returns                 0-0           2-17
Kickoffs-returns            8-182           3-60
Interceptions-returns         0-0           1-15
PENALTIES-YARDS              2-15           6-60
FUMBLES-LOST                  3-2            0-0
TIME OF POSSESSION          20:42          39:18

News: 12/24/01

The Mike McMahon bandwagon caught a flat tire Sunday.
   Hopefully, you got off.
   Not permanently, but at least until we get to see McMahon in action long enough to really know if he's just a fifth-round pick from a lowly college program forced to play in a bad situation, or if he is, indeed, the man to lead the Lions.
   For most of the day, McMahon hardly looked like the latter. He wasn't bad. From the word go, he was just plain awful.
   And he didn't get better. He only got worse.
   In a humiliating 47-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field, McMahon led the Lions to no first downs and minus-7 yards in the second half.
   "Everything we tried to do just didn't go our way," McMahon said after the second-half debacle. "Anything that could go wrong basically happened."
   At one point, late in the third quarter, McMahon simply fell over his own feet. It went for a sack.
   What a difference a week makes. McMahon, 22, seemingly could do no wrong and was the toast of the town. He probably could have run for mayor and won. After all, he led the Lions to their first victory of the season.
   Fans, looking to hold on to something, cheered the rookie from Rutgers. The sports-talk radio shows were abuzz with McMahon hype. Indeed, most said, he was the real deal and the Lions' quarterback of the future.
   For sure, many of those fans' hopes came crashing to earth when McMahon fumbled twice and threw his first interception of the season in the first half alone.
   McMahon doesn't take care of the football.
   "That's a situation normally that most young quarterbacks have to learn," Lions Coach Marty Mornhinweg said. "It's a learning process, because it's different.
   "The ball-security issue is different than it is in the preseason and it's different than it is in college bowl games and it's different than it is at Rutgers."
   On the first play of the game, McMahon missed a wide-open David Sloan.
   "It should have been a touchdown," said McMahon, who completed 12 of 28 passes for 118 yards, "... and you make a poor throw, a bad decision. There's no excuse for that."
   Then he missed Johnnie Morton on a slant, throwing the ball out of his reach.
   "He missed some easy ones today," Mornhinweg said. "He will recover from that."
   The same can be said about the punishment McMahon took. He was sacked six times -- four in the second half. He left the stadium on crutches after suffering a sprained right ankle.
   McMahon had his hands full from the beginning. He was up against the top-rated defense in the NFL. For the first time since becoming a starter three weeks ago, he faced real pressure.
   The real test is how you respond to it. Clearly, McMahon struggled.
   "There were some unfortunate situations in the beginning of the game," Morton said. "It kind of put us in a hole, but he didn't take a step back."
   So, before you get too comfortable, always remember the ride will be bumpy when it comes to developing a young quarterback.

RECAP:

Kordell Stewart threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another as the Pittsburgh Steelers cruised to a 47-14 victory over the Detroit Lions.

The result was predictable in a game matching the AFC's best team against one of the NFL's worst clubs.

Stewart threw a four-yard scoring pass to tight end Matt Cushing in the first quarter, hit Hines Ward with a five-yard touchdown in the second and connected with Plaxico Burress on a 19-yard scoring play in the third quarter.

With the ability to beat teams with his arm and legs, Stewart also ran for a two-yard touchdown.

"We did a lot of good things," Stewart said. "We converted when we needed to and put points on the board."

The Steelers (12-2) clinched a first-round postseason bye and moved closer to sealing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Lions (1-13), who earned their first win of the season last week, finished with an 0-8 road record for the first time since 1979.

Ward caught seven passes for 67 yards and became the club's all-time single-season leader in receptions with 87, passing Yancey Thigpen's record of 85 catches in 1995.

"I traveled a long road," Ward said. "I've been injury free. I know that it felt like the coaches didn't have confidence in me. I just worked hard, continued to go out and got better. This year, it paid off for me. I'm starting to showcase what (I) can do if you leave (me) alone."

Stewart has 10 TD passes in his last nine games with just one interception and completed 17 of his 26 passes.

He capped his day with a 19-yard TD to Burress with 8:46 left in the third quarter, one of four receptions for Burress who had 56 yards receiving.

"We're finally converting touchdowns as opposed to field goals," Stewart said. "That's a good thing."

Jason Gildon opened the scoring for Pittsburgh on the third play of the game when fellow linebacker Joey Porter sacked rookie quarterback Mike McMahon and knocked the ball loose. Porter picked up the fumble and raced 27 yards for a touchdown.

"I slipped coming out, held the ball too long," McMahon said. "I did not quite get rid of it soon enough and paid the price. We thought we could win it, we just shot ourselves in the foot."

It was one of two fumbles by McMahon, who was sacked six times and threw one interception. Prior to Sunday, he had not been picked off in his last two games.

"We're not going to let down," Steelers safety Lee Flowers said. "Detroit was just another team standing in our way to our goals. We're clicking on all cylinders and need to stay focused."

Detroit answered just under five minutes later when McMahon found tight end David Sloan from 10 yards away, tying the game 7-7 with 9:56 left in the quarter.

It was one of two TD catches for Sloan, who caught just four passes for 32 yards. He and McMahon connected on a one-yard pass with just 26 seconds left in the half, making it 27-14.

McMahon was 12-of-28 for 118 yards.

"When you play the top team in the league, you have to play mistake-free football," he said. "We turned the ball over three times during the game."

Kris Brown gave the Steelers a 30-14 lead with a 37-yard field goal with 3:04 remaining in the third quarter. It was set up by running back Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, who turned a short pass by Stewart into a 54-yard play to the 24.

Fuamatu-Ma'afala carried the ball 26 times for a career-high 126 yards.

"I'm just glad I was able to get into a feel for the game," Fuamatu-Ma'afala said. "It's real good for me. I really needed this game to boost my confidence."

Scott's Game Commentary:

After being sky high after beating the Vikings, the Lions were brought back to reality after playing their worst game since the 35-0 trashing the Rams gave them back in early October. The Mike McMahon bandwagon, which was rolling full steam ahead came to a crashing halt as the rookie had three turnovers, including one in the first minute of the game that was returned for a touchdown. Besides McMahon's disasterous performance, the Defense was just as bad. The "D" missed countless tackles and had no answer to Kordell Stewart. Bryant Westbrook looked like he did a few years ago, awful! The return game was nowhere to be seen and Jason Hanson missed a field goal. It got so bad in the 2nd half, that I gave up watching the game, something I rarely do. But, I had seen enough of the difference between a team that is headed to the superbowl and the other one that will most likely have the worst record in the NFL. The bottom line was the Lions weren't ready to play and Mornhinweig even admitted they weren't!

Grades:

Offense: --- F. No first downs and negative yardage in the 2nd half? Three turnovers? No rushing game? The Lions offense looked like it did in the first few games this year, granted they were going against one of the best defenses in the NFL. It was just a horrendous performance for everyone involved in the offense. McMahon looked like a rookie...losing James Stewart early in the game was a back breaker given the Lions don't have anyone capable of backing him up...the offensive line gave up six sacks. Just one rotten performance that should be forgotten as soon as possible!

Defense: --- F-. As bad as the offense was, the defense may of been worse. Giving up 40+ points for the 2nd time this year? Its mind boggling how they completely unraveled after playing so well since the Arizona game. There were so many mistakes it was disgusting...numerous mistackles, blown assignments...I could go on and on...but the stat that says is all is Pittsburgh controlling the ball for almost 40 minutes...and punting one time the entire game in the 4th quarater! That's just embarrassing. The defense didnt' come ready to play and it showed!

Special Teams: --- D. Desmond Howard has done nothing since getting injured...coverage has fallen apart of late...Hanson missed a field goal...Jett returned and struggled. All in all, just a rotten day.

Coaching: --- F. Marty admitted that he didn't have his team ready to play. There are no excuses for that at all! It was an embarrassment how poorly the Lions played, granted it was against one of the best teams in the NFL. Marty has a long way to go before the Lions can even come close to matching the Steelers. Funny thing is: the Lions had a better record than the Steelers last year. How quickly the tide can turn!

Overall: --- F. The Lions were partying a little too hard after their first victory of the year and they met a team that was fighting for home field advantage throughout the playoffs...the Lions got a good old fashion ass whipping handed to them! Up next are the Chicago Bears who continue to find ways to win. Who ever in their right mind would of thought the Lions would be 1-13 and the Bears would be 11-3 a year ago? Speaking of a year ago, who could forget that Bears game? That is one game I'll never forget as all the Lions had to do was beat the Bears, at the time one of the worst teams in the NFL. Good news, if the Lions win on Sunday and the Packers win, the Bears are no longer in first place. But, I do not want to see the Cheeseheads win the division and winning will only do the Lions harm for the 2nd pick overall in the draft. The Bears are a great road team this year and will play better than they did a few weeks ago against the Lions.

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