In a game where the word “dramatic” hardly does it justice, the Steelers escaped Detroit with a five-point win over the Lions. As always, there are plenty of takeaways to be had.
1. This incredible, horrible, so good, very frustrating game
The Steelers survived on Sunday. Did your blood pressure?
In a back and forth fourth quarter, Pittsburgh had multiple opportunities to put Detroit away, but the Lions kept clawing back to be just a score behind. Then came a supremely memorable final two minutes that left both sides frustrated at the referees in one of the most
drawn-out, edge-of-your-seat finishes I’ve ever watched as a football fan.
The Steelers were going to win in a blowout. Then they were going to choke. Then they lost in the most heartbreaking way possible. Wait! Then the Lions lost in the most heartbreaking way possible.
That announcement of “The ruling on the field is a touchdown, however…” is going to go down in Detroit infamy. Ultimately, while the game was peppered with questionable calls for both sides (the state of NFL officiating is rough right now), the referees got close enough to the correct conclusion even if they took a few business days to arrive at it.
It was a fairly clear offensive pass interference on Amon-Ra St. Brown with a two-handed shove, therefore erasing anything that came after it and ending the game. But why was the call on the field ever a touchdown? Forward progress was clearly stopped before the attempted lateral, and any further tackling from Jalen Ramsey would’ve felt like unnecessary roughness.
I truly don’t get worked up about football games much anymore. But that was an agonizing final stretch for fans of either team. It wasn’t exactly great football, either — some sloppy play late with a healthy dose of ref-ball and comically late flags.
And all that was just the final few moments of the game. The first half had some standout points as well, whether it was Kenneth Gainwell making the team’s play of the year or D.K. Metcalf getting into an altercation with a fan. Talk about highs and lows. That game was cardio. But barring something special happening in the playoffs, Sunday’s contest felt like it will be the signature game of the Steelers’ 2025 season — a capsule of the emotional torture and payoff that keeps us tuning back in every week.
In his postgame press conference, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin repeatedly praised his roster for hanging in there and delivering a victory in a game where the winning percentage graph could be a Euthanasia Coaster. As weird and wacky as the game was, it was against a quality opponent in a hostile environment with plenty of gut check moments. Dare I say there were some similarities to playoff football?
And hey, the Ravens lost on Sunday Night Football! Now, the Steelers’ playoff chances are sitting in the 90% range in most models with a number of clinching options next week. If Baltimore falls on Saturday against the Packers, Pittsburgh’s final two regular season games would simply be practice for the postseason.
What a weekend. The Steelers game. The Patriots’ SNF comeback. The “Zach-wards pass” on Thursday Night Football. The Caleb Williams missile to walk off against Green Bay on Saturday.
In the words of now-Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers: “How can you not be romantic about football, man?”
2. The Steelers are peaking at the right time, but they’re still inconsistent
In past years, we’ve lamented how Pittsburgh seems to lose steam late in the season as the real contenders heat up. But over the past three weeks, the Steelers have put together their best stretch of the season so far, with borderline elite highs at times against the Dolphins and Lions.
The Steelers held De’Von Achane to just 60 rushing yards in Week 15. In Week 16, the even more dangerous Jahmyr Gibbs managed just two (not a typo). Detroit recorded just 15 team yards on the ground Sunday (also not a typo).
Maybe it’s the Christmas spirit, but any wildly optimistic takes about where this season could end up aren’t really bothering me. Do I agree with them? Not really. But the AFC playoff picture is bizarre this year, and beating the Lions — while not the 2024 version of Detroit — is without a doubt still a quality win.
In fact, Pittsburgh should’ve won by more. The Steelers moved the ball well on their final drive but still committed enough mistakes to give Detroit a chance at its almost-game-winning drive — Darnell Washington and Jonnu Smith each went out of bounds after securing first downs, and Aaron Rodgers threw the ball away instead of going down to give the Lions a free play before the two-minute warning. A bad snap and missed kick on the ensuing field goal also contributed to a stressful final drive that didn’t have to be.
Before that, there was a Darnell Washington fumble within the Detroit 10-yard-line, and a dropped Marquez Valdes-Scantling touchdown on the following drive. The Steelers ended up getting three points combined from both drives (call it five if you want to give Washington an assist on Kyle Dugger’s safety).
Beyond that, the Steelers gave up 201 yards of the Lions’ 361 in the fourth quarter, along with 14 points. While I’m grateful this game gave me the opportunity to wax poetic about the dramatic nature of sports, there’s no denying it was nearly a stunning choke as much as it was a riveting win.
By the time the game clock hit zeroes, the negatives had nearly outweighed the numerous positives for Pittsburgh. The Steelers have played some of their best football this month, but there have similarly been a near-equal number of discouraging stretches. Wins are wins, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a laundry list of miscues to go over as Pittsburgh prepares for Week 17.
3. The Steelers keep changing, and it’s really cool
I dubbed Pittsburgh a Ship of The-Steelers last week and I hope it sticks. This is positively not the same team we saw Week 1 — or even at midseason.
Case in point: After building a reputation as one of the most conservative decision-makers in the NFL, Tomlin’s Steelers have now gone for it on fourth down a total of five times in the last two weeks — including several high-leverage, risky-field-position moments, and those instances have contributed in big ways to both wins.
In terms of roster building, the team’s new-look wide receiver room and secondary didn’t start to pan out until midseason additions came to an unexpected rescue. Darius Slay and Juan Thornhill aren’t even on the team anymore, but Kyle Dugger and Asante Samuel Jr. have filled in well. Aaron Rodgers seems to have newfound trust testing the middle of the field now that Adam Thielen is playing over Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson.
That’s not to say the coaching staff and front office don’t deserve credit for finding and developing under-the-radar talent. It seems Pittsburgh has been led by a different breakout star every week: First Darnell Washington came into his own early in the season, then James Pierre went from a roster bubble special teams player to a playmaking starter, then Kenneth Gainwell transformed into the team’s biggest offensive weapon, and now Dylan Cook, a third-string tackle, has turned in two quality weeks protecting Rodgers’ blindside.
In August, who would’ve thought Spencer Anderson, Cook, and Andrus Peat would be clearing lanes for Jaylen Warren chunk plays in a December win over the Lions?
The success Pittsburgh was finding with its jumbo looks early in the season hasn’t been quite as consistent recently, but the Steelers are now mixing in more empty-set looks to find plays on offense. The team continues to have a Jekyll and Hyde nature from week to week — even quarter to quarter — but the flip side has been some dramatic evolution to keep the team in the playoff picture. Credit where it’s due.
4. Odds and ends
- Jack Sawyer drew a tough matchup against Penei Sewell for his first career start and turned in an interesting performance. His big play gene from college has carried over to the pros, with the rookie outside linebacker logging five total tackles, a tackle for loss, and two quarterback hits. Still, he’s incredibly stiff in space and the Steelers gave him far too many coverage snaps on Sunday, where he was constantly picked on.
- Alex Highsmith was a menace against Detroit — constantly around the ball with six total tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, and even more plays where he clearly impacted the result. He’s had a fantastic 2025.
- Like Highsmith, Cam Heyward had a good stat line (four total tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, two quarterback hits), but made an even bigger play-to-play impact. The Lions were down their starting center on an already struggling offensive line, and Heyward and co. made them feel it.
- In a funny postgame anecdote, Heyward said he messed up the opening coin toss for the Steelers. Something about Pittsburgh playing in Detroit…
- Joey Porter Jr. might’ve played his best game of the year against the Lions, making two pass deflections against Amon-Ra St. Brown on the Lions’ opening drive, which stalled in the red zone on a fourth-down stop. He was a strong tackler when he did give up catches, and was part of the effort that stopped St. Brown short of the end zone on the final play of the game. Porter Jr. looks like a future building block for the secondary.
- Connor Heyward has quietly turned in two great weeks of football, making several key blocks as a fullback in the Steelers’ successful run game on Sunday.
- Lions quarterback Jared Goff has long struggled with interior pressure, and to my eyes the Steelers used more mug looks and middle blitzes than they have in past weeks. It was a nice adjustment given the opponent (even if it led to even more Sawyer coverage reps on sim pressures).
- Scotty Miller recorded three catches against the Lions, and all of them came on the same drive over one five-play stretch. Two of them were big ones — a tough, over the middle fourth-down conversion, and then a toe-dragging sideline third-down conversion. Another depth player stepping up in a big way when needed. It’s without a doubt the theme of the season.
- The Steelers’ inside linebackers had the roughest game for the team, with the Lions’ middle of the field passing attack putting a lot of strain on their zones. However, Patrick Queen made a game-saving tackle in the fourth quarter that’s been flying under the radar.
- I’m going to wait until the full story comes out regarding the D.K. Metcalf fan altercation before issuing any sort of take (it does look bad from the broadcast angle — there aren’t many good reasons to do what Metcalf did), but that could come back in a big way to hurt the team given the realistic possibility the NFL deems a suspension necessary. Again, life gets a lot easier for Pittsburgh if Baltimore loses on Saturday.
- The Kenneth Gainwell touchdown catch seemed very flukey in the moment, but the Steelers’ players deserve more credit than they’re getting. It was a subpar throw from Rodgers in an otherwise excellent game, but he was wise to target Gainwell on a linebacker, and the running back looked the ball in through contact and made a great catch. Sometimes the ball luckily bounces your way, but this had more to do with skill. It’s been a fantastic season for Gainwell, who now needs just 89 yards in two weeks to break 1,000 from scrimmage.
- Chuck Clark might’ve set the record for dropped interceptions in a game, but it’s a good thing he was around the ball as much as he was. It’s also another instance of Pittsburgh having plenty of opportunities to win the game by more than one score.
- Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith got a first down on another fake tush push. He’s keeping defenses guessing and reinforcing my belief the Steelers are planning something with Aaron Rodgers standing behind the formation.
- Keeanu Benton is up to a career-high 5.5 sacks — great for a nose tackle — in a season that started off rough. However, he’s been showing more and more positive flashes. His club/over is up there with the best the Steeler pass rush has to offer.
- Seeing Chris Boswell miss a 37-yarder was certainly unexpected, but a low snap seemed to throw the field goal operation out of rhythm. Long snapper injuries (Christian Kuntz was questionable entering the game) remain one of the biggest game-changing elements in football.
- Now at nine wins on the year, Mike Tomlin’s no-losing season streak remains alive. Despite some legitimate criticisms of his performance as head coach and some funny memes, it’s a genuinely impressive feat. Winning in the NFL is tough. Sunday’s game proved that.
Pittsburgh will next take the field against the Browns on Dec. 28. It’ll be the first of two AFC North games to finish out the Steelers’ regular season.
What are your takeaways from Steelers vs. Lions? Agree/disagree with the ones above? Join the Behind the Steel Curtain community and let us know in the comments!
