PITTSBURGH — They will be back in November, and their starters will be playing. Whether it makes a difference or not, only time will tell. But at least it will be a more evenly matched affair.
The Detroit Lions lost their second straight preseason game Saturday, this one in uglier-than-it-sounds fashion, 26-20, to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.
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The Steelers played quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for three series and many of their other starters deep into the first half, while the Lions rested 14 of their most important players including quarterback Jared Goff, running back D’Andre Swift and tight end T.J. Hockenson.
The Steelers dominated the first half, outgaining the Lions 285 yards to 65 and doubling up Detroit in time of possession, before third-string quarterback David Blough led three late scoring drives to make the final score respectable.
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Blough finished 12-for-17 passing for 143 yards and one touchdown for the Lions, who play the Steelers again Nov. 14 in Pittsburgh.
Roethlisberger was 8-for-10 passing for 137 yards and two touchdowns for the Steelers, who had two long pass plays against the Lions defense that played its starting secondary but backups at most other positions.
Tight end Pat Freiermuth caught touchdown passes of 11 and 8 yards from Roethlisberger, beating Tracy Walker and Jalen Reeves-Maybin for his scores.
The Steelers led 23-0 after three quarters before Blough replaced Tim Boyle and made his case to be the Lions’ backup.
He sparked a 14-play, 82-yard drive with two long scrambles; Godwin Igwebuike, who moved from safety to running back before the start of camp, capped the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run behind undrafted rookie Tommy Kraemer early in the fourth quarter.
After a Steelers field goal, Blough capped a 10-play, 77-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Javon McKinley.
Geronimo Allison recovered the ensuing onside kick to set up a short Craig Reynolds touchdown run, before the Steelers ran the final 1:56 off the clock.
As bad as the Lions looked at times Saturday, they got good play from three members of what appears to be a promising rookie class.
Levi Onwuzurike, in his first action of the preseason, played a disruptive series just before halftime, creating a tackle for loss for teammate Miles Brown and forcing an incompletion on third-and-goal with a good pass rush.
Fourth-round pick Derrick Barnes broke up a pass and had a sack on back-to-plays early in the fourth quarter.
And undrafted rookie A.J. Parker added to his already strong case for the starting nickel job with eight tackles — including two for loss — and a pass breakup.
Boyle, who played into the third quarter, finished 7-for-15 passing for 44 yards. Tom Kennedy had four catches for a game-high 61 yards receiving for the Lions, who close the preseason next week against the Indianapolis Colts at Ford Field.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.