The Detroit Lions couldn’t stop the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rushing attack with their season on the line in late December. Now, they’re interested in talking to one of the men who beat them in that game.
The Lions have requested an interview with Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, NFL Network reported.
Smith spent the past two seasons calling plays for the Steelers after serving as Atlanta Falcons head coach from 2021-23. Pittsburgh went 10-7 and won the AFC North this season, but lost its wild-card playoff game to the Houston Texans, 30-6, on Monday.
The Steelers finished 15th in the NFL in scoring offense (23.4 ppg) and 22nd or worse in passing, rushing and total offense. They had season-highs of 230 yards rushing and 481 yards of total offense in a 29-24 win over the Lions at Ford Field in Week 16.
The Lions were eliminated from the playoffs four days later in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
The Steelers scored three touchdowns of 45 yards in that game.
The Lions fired offensive coordinator John Morton two days after the season and have focused on candidates with strong running backgrounds and experience outside the organization in their search for a replacement.
Smith was Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator in 2019-20, when the Titans had one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL.
Along with Smith, former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, ex-New York Giants interim coach Mike Kafka, Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, Seattle Seahawks pass game coordinator Jake Peetz and Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach Tee Martin have interviewed or reportedly will interview for the job.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Steelers OC Arthur Smith emerges as candidate for Lions job: Report
