The Detroit Lions defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Sunday to advance to the NFC Championship Game next weekend. Former Steelers DL Tyson Alualu was active for the win and recorded one tackle and one quarterback hit as the Lions won 31-23.
Alualu was drafted in the first round of the 2010 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He spent seven seasons there before joining the Steelers in free agency ahead of the 2017 season. The Steelers got six seasons out of him before his contract expired last offseason. Nobody signed him until the Lions added him to their practice squad in December. He was elevated from the practice squad for the team’s final two regular season games, and was active for each of the Lions’ two playoff wins so far.
At age 36, this could very well be Alualu’s last season, and now he has a chance to compete to be a Super Bowl champion for the first time in his career. He had only appeared in two playoff games prior to this season, and will now surpass that career total in what could be his final season. His other two appearances were both with the Steelers. One during the 2017 season as the Steelers lost to the team that drafted him. The other was in the 2020 season against the Cleveland Browns, which was one of the best statistical seasons of his career.
Over his career, Alualu has 114 starts and 193 regular season appearances with 420 combined tackles, 262 solo tackles, 46 tackles for loss, 25 sacks, 15 passes defensed, and four forced fumbles.
He was a beloved member of the Steelers defensive line, and was tight with Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt at a time when the Steelers’ defensive front was one of the most dominant in the league. He almost left the Steelers in free agency to return to the Jaguars in 2021, but Heyward convinced him to run it back with the Steelers. Unfortunately, Alualu suffered a season-ending ankle injury that year, but returned the following season to play in all 17 games.
CB Cameron Sutton is also a member of the Lions’ roster. He was drafted by the Steelers in 2017 and spent his first six seasons in Pittsburgh before leaving the team in free agency this past offseason. He started all 17 games for the Lions this season and logged 65 combined tackles, 50 solo tackles, four tackles for loss, six passes defensed, one interception, and one forced fumble. He had one pass defensed and three tackles in the win over the Buccaneers.
The Lions are an easy team to root for in the playoffs as they hadn’t won a playoff game since 1991. Alualu playing meaningful snaps as they try to make a run to the Super Bowl makes them all the easier to pull for. Next week, in the NFC Championship Game, they will face the San Francisco 49ers.
