The battle between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions had no shortage of wild plays, but the final moments became the bigger story as chaos unfolded.
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Initially, it appeared that Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jared Goff had combined for an improbable game-winning touchdown. Minutes later, the head referee announced that the game had ended with the Steelers as the victors.
Let's break down everything that happened in the closing moments at Ford Field and led to the 29-24 Steelers win.
Goff dropped back with eight seconds left on the clock. He looked to his left and threw the ball to St. Brown at the goal line. The Lions receiver caught the ball at the 1-yard line, but Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter Jr. kept him out of the end zone.
As the two Steelers defenders wrestled St. Brown toward the ground, the receiver tossed the ball to Goff. The quarterback then hurdled his way into the end zone for what appeared to be the game-winning score. However, the situation changed due to the penalty flags that brought the officials together into a huddle for an extended amount of time.
One of the craziest finishes you will ever see in your life pic.twitter.com/j9znGOQmdq
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 22, 2025
Carl Cheffers then cued his microphone and gave a long explanation about everything that had transpired.
"The ruling on the field is a touchdown," Cheffers said as the crowd cheered. "However, pass interference, number 14 on the offense. By rule, that penalty is not enforced and there is no replay. The game is over. There is no touchdown."
This ruling caught some people by surprise. Per NFL rules, a game can't end on a defensive foul. So if the Steelers had committed pass interference, the game would have been extended by another play.
This is not the case with an offensive penalty, as Cheffers explained. The game can just end, as it did on Sunday evening.
With the announcement made, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers walked toward the center of the field with his arms raised in triumph. He then spoke to Tracy Wolfson about the wild ending.
"Chaos," Rodgers said. "I mean, I was part of a game 13 years ago that had this kind of chaos. Some replacement referees though."
This particular comment referenced the infamous Fail Mary game between the Packers and Seahawks. This game took place on Sept. 24, 2012, and featured a controversial finish due to the replacement referees. The regulars had gone on strike as part of a labor dispute with the NFL.
Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson dropped back on the final play of the game and launched a pass into the end zone. Receiver Golden Tate and safety MD Jennings both got hands on the ball and wrestled for possession.
Two referees then rushed in and displayed two different signals. One threw up the sign for a touchdown while the other threw up the sign for a touchback, indicating an interception.
The officials ultimately ruled in favor of the Seahawks, awarding them a game-winning touchdown. The NFL later acknowledged that the officials should have called a penalty on Tate for offensive pass interference after he pushed Sam Shields.
