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They might have lost, but the Lions should get some credit for putting up one heck of a fight. They took the NFL champion Steelers to the limit on Sunday, taking them to the final minute before a final failed drive fell short as they lost 28-20 to Pittsburgh to fall to 1-4.

Pittsburgh turned up the heat on the Lions in the last minute, as they recorded three straight sacks before a failed Hail Mary by Daunte Culpepper ended the threat. The Steelers had leads in the last two road games before falling to the Bears and Bengals, so while it wasn’t the most impressive win for them, the team will take it to move to 3-2.

Ben Roethlisberger threw for 277 yards on 23-for-30 passing with three touchdowns and a pick six back the other way be the Lions William James that made it 14-13 in the second quarter. The Steelers though came right back, as Roethlisberger led the best drive of the day, hitting tight end Heath Miller three times in the drive, then ending it with a 17-yard TD to Hines Ward, his first score of the season to make it 21-13 at the half.

The lead was extended in the third quarter when Mike Wallace, who had dropped a long ball earlier, made a solid adjustment on a long pass and pulled it in for a 47-yard score to make it 28-13.

The Lions though didn’t go quietly, first Culpepper led them on a 7-play, 82-yard drive that took just 2:58 to close the score to 28-20 when he hit Dennis Northcutt with a 25-yard score with 4:57 left. After a Steelers three-and-out, Culpepper was able to get the ball to the Steelers 21, but then it was three straight sacks – Woodley and Gay, Gay again and then Lawrence Timmons, that put the Lions in a fourth-and-34 when Culpepper went deep and it was knocked away.

The Lions backup QB, playing for the injured Matthew Stafford, went 23-for-37 for 282 yards with a touchdown and a pick. The team lost leading WR Calvin Johnson early with a leg injury, and were led through the air by Northcutt, who had 5 catches for 70 yards. Rashard Mendenhall had 77 yards on 15 carries with a score for Pittsburgh, and Ward had 7 grabs for 85 yards.