Pittsburgh Steelers Week 16 Preview: Taming the Lions

Week 16 for the Pittsburgh Steelers presents perhaps their most difficult and challenging games of the year when they find themselves in Detroit, Michigan to take on the Lions. The two teams have a 33-game history dating back to the first meeting in 1934 when the Steelers were just one year old.

The series is close with Pittsburgh winning 17 of those games and losing 14 with two ties. The last four meetings between the Lions and Steelers each came four years apart with Pittsburgh winning three of those in 2009, 2013, 2017, and the last game coming on November 14, 2021, in a battle that ended in a 16-16 tie. The other three games were close with the Steelers winning by scores of 28-20, 37-27, and 20-15.

Most Steelers and Lions fans will probably think of the Thanksgiving Day game between the Steelers and Lions as the most memorable not just because an overtime period decided the game, but more so for how that extra quarter began. On the coin toss to decide who received that first overtime kickoff, Jerome Bettis representing Pittsburgh made the call on the coin toss and while the ref had the coin flipped in the air, “The Bus” can be clearly heard saying “heads-tails” although he swore, he said tails first.

Referee Phil Luckett ruled that the call was heads and awarded the ball to Detroit who promptly marched downfield and ended the game with a Jason Hanson 42-yard field goal. That incident changed the coin toss forever and now players are required to make their call before the referee flips the coin and not while it is in the air.

Watch the incident here.

Incredibly the Steelers were 7-5 before this game and would lose this one and the next four games to finish 7-9 and obviously out of playoff contention. The Steelers lost the first four meetings of the series and then from 1950 to 1962 would lose six of seven games played. But from 1966 until the last meeting in 2021, the Steelers won 13 of 16 games played including that 2021 tie and the only other losses in 1983 and 1998.

The Steelers have scored 30 plus points four times with a high score of 47-14 in 2001. The Steelers have never been shut out by Detroit but were held to just a field goal three times. Detroit on the other hand pasted the Steelers for 40 plus points on four different occasions, all blowouts winning 45-3, 45-7, 45-7, and 40-7 in 1983, 196, 1956, and 1934, respectively. They’ve also put up 30 or more in three other games. The Steelers have also never shut out the Lions but have held them to three points in two other games.

When the Steelers have the ball

I believe the best way to enter the playoffs is when a team is playing their best football. That is where the Steelers are at right now. In two straight convincing victories over Baltimore and Miami, now Pittsburgh is heading into Detroit to face a Lions team coming off a disappointing loss and that makes them dangerous.

In observing the last two games it seems to me that Aaron Rodgers has finally got comfortable in the Steelers’ offense and the play calling has been excellent. Detroit is banged up on defense with multiple players listed as questionable for this game. That is an advantage to the Steelers. The Lions are surrendering around 230 yards per game passing and 106 yards of rushing attempts. Again, Pittsburgh’s offense should be able to move the ball.

What for Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell to have big games and for Rodgers to key on DK Metcalf and Darnell Washington as main targets.

When the Lions Ravens have the ball

Jared Goff is having a solid season, but the Lions have just been underachieving based on how they performed that two season prior to 2025. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are dangerous runners, and the Steelers too have some questionables heading into this game with T.J. Watt at the top of the list.

Given how the Steelers have been playing defense in the last two games, they have been more aggressive, getting better tackling, and playing hard all 60 minutes. The Lions can be defeated now with a record of 8-6 matching Pittsburgh’s mark so this game can go either way.

Intangibles

Detroit at home is 6-1 this season. That doesn’t bode well for Pittsburgh. But it boils down to who is playing the better football right now and in my opinion that is the Steelers. Pittsburgh is 3-3 on the road so that isn’t an optimistic mark for Steelers Nation. What we will find out here is whether the Steelers can stay consistent and play a third straight game without making any mistakes or turning the ball over.