Not being able to convert short-yardage rushing situations was obviously a huge weakness for this team last season, but the fourth-down play in that sequence also exposed a weakness from last season that hasn't received nearly as much attention this offseason.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford couldn't find an open receiver on the play when the Steelers dropped seven men into coverage, and Pittsburgh completely overwhelmed Detroit's offensive line with just a four-man rush.

Whether or not the Lions should have kicked the field goal on 4th down and taken the lead is another debate, but the sack turned the ball back over to the Steelers, and we all remember what happened three plays later: A 97-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to JuJu Smith-Schuster that pushed the lead to 20-12.

The fourth-down sack was one of the 47 times Stafford was sacked last season, second most among NFL quarterbacks behind only Indianapolis' Jacoby Brissett (52). To put that in a bit of perspective, San Diego's Philip Rivers attempted 10 more passes than Stafford last season and was sacked a total of 18 times.

Detroit's ability to stay healthy upfront – the team started 10 different combinations last year – and adapt to the new blocking schemes under offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, are just as important to the passing game and keeping Stafford better protected as it is the Lions becoming a more consistent running football team this upcoming season.

Detroit ranked 27th in the NFL last season in pass blocking efficiency by Pro Football Focus. PFF measures pass blocking efficiency using a weighted formula that combines sacks, hits and hurries (with hits and hurries three quarters the worth) relative to how many snaps an offensive line is in pass protection. The Lions' 75.6 PBE rating was tied with Indianapolis for the fifth worst in the league, and only better than Seattle (75.3), Denver (75.1), Arizona (74.3) and Houston (67.0).

On paper, Detroit seems to have a very capable group upfront in Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, Graham Glasgow, T.J. Lang and Rick Wagner to not only improve the run game, but help keep Stafford better protected. The keys are health and consistency.