Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions Picks and Prediction, Sunday, December 21st, 2025

In this Steelers at Lions prediction, the AFC North-leading Packers head to the Motor City to take on the Detroit Lions. Both teams come into this matchup with identical 8-6 records. The Steelers’ mark is good enough for first place in the AFC North, while the Lions' record has them in 3rd place in the NFC North. The opening kick is scheduled for 4:25 pm EST. If you need quality winners, this is the ultimate site for NFL Picks.

Steelers Top the AFC North

The Pittsburgh Steelers held serve on Monday night, defeating the visiting Miami Dolphins 28-15. The Steelers led 7-3 at the half before building their lead to 28-3 before the Dolphins scored two meaningless touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Steelers retained their one-game lead over Baltimore, which picked up a win on Sunday afternoon at Cincinnati.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been a part of stuff like this,” said quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who last made the playoffs in 2021. “Nothing changes. It’s just, I feel real comfortable in this environment.”

Rodgers finished the game 23-of-27 for 224 yards and two touchdowns. The four-time NFL MVP didn’t throw a pick in the game and led the Steelers on three second-half touchdown drives that put the game away. Running back Kenneth Gainwell had a big night as well on Monday, rushing for 80 yards and catching all seven of his targets for 56 yards. Overall, the Steelers had 22 first downs and went 7-of-16 on conversions, including 3-for-3 on fourth down. The Steelers finished with 336 yards of total offense.

The Steelers’ defense, despite missing premier edge rusher TJ Watt, stifled the Dolphins’ offense until late the 3rd quarter. They allowed 285 yards of total offense, including just 65 yards on the ground. The Dolphins were just 3-of-9 on conversions. The Steelers had four sacks in the game, including one from veteran tackle Cameron Heyward. Asante Samuel Jr. forced the game’s only turnover with an interception in the first half.

The Steelers are 8-6 with just three games left in the regular season and a one-game lead over the Ravens for the top spot. They come into this game ranked 13th in the NFL in points per game. The Steelers are 27th in rushing and 23rd through the air. They are 20th in the league in red zone attempts and 13th in converting red zone appearances into touchdowns. The Steelers have protected Rodgers well, ranked 10th in sacks allowed. Defensively, the Steelers are 18th in the NFL in points allowed per game. They are 18th against the run and just 27th against the pass. The Steelers' defense is ranked 23rd in red zone attempts per game by the opposition. They are 21st in allowing touchdowns in the red zone. As evidenced by Monday night’s four sacks, the Steelers are effective in getting to the quarterback even without Watt. They are ranked fifth in the NFL in sacks per game. The Steelers are 7th in penalty minutes and 3rd in the league in turnover margin.

Key Injuries: LB TJ Watt, CB James Pierre, G Andrus Peat, LB Nick Herbig, and G Isaac Seumalo are all questionable.

Lions Fighting for Playoff Spot

The Detroit Lions are still in the playoff hunt at 8-6, but they’ll need help. The Lions didn’t help themselves last week, falling to the Los Angeles Rams in a shootout, 41-34, in Los Angeles. The Lions have little margin for error now and will likely need to win out and hope for some help.

“We’re resilient,” quarterback Jared Goff said after the tough loss. “We really are, and I expect us to bounce back from this, and we still have plenty of stuff in front of us. We’ve got a great group that can win a championship here.”

Goff finished the day 25-of-41 for 338 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions’ starting receivers had huge games. Amon St. Brown finished with 13 catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow wideout Jameson Williams added seven catches for 134 yards and a touchdown. The Lions’ usually potent ground game was slowed by the Rams, finishing with just 70 yards. The Lions were 7-of-16 on conversions, including 2-of-2 on fourth down. They finished with 396 yards of total offense against the usually stingy Rams defense.

The Lions’ defense started strongly but faded in the second half as the Rams pushed across 24 points. They allowed a whopping 519 yards of total offense and 30 first downs to the Rams. They allowed an average of 7.5 yards per play. The lone bright spot was a spectacular interception by edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson on an attempted screen pass. Hutchinson returned the pick for 58 yards to set up a score. Hutchinson added a sack in the game, one of two for the Lions.

The Lions are in must-win territory and should be happy to return home to the fast track of Ford Field in Detroit. The Lions’ offense continues to thrive, ranked first in the NFL in points per game. They are ranked third in the league in both rushing and passing. The Lions are fourth in red zone appearances this season and rank second in converting those opportunities into touchdowns. They have protected Goff fairly well, ranked 11th in sacks allowed this season. On the defensive side of the ball, the Lions are ranked 23rd in scoring defense. They are ninth against the run but just 24th against the pass. The Lions rank 20th in red zone appearances allowed and just 24th in red zone touchdowns allowed. They are seventh in the NFL in sacks per game. The Lions are sixth in penalty yards per game and fifth in turnover margin.

Key Injuries: DT DJ Jones and TE Nate Adkins are questionable. S Kerby Joseph is doubtful.

Steelers at Lions Pick

Point Spread Pick for Steelers at Lions

• Lions -7 (4 units)

The Lions will have a heavy advantage offensively against the Steelers. The Steelers are ranked just 27th against the pass. That will be disastrous against the Lions’ 3rd-ranked passing attack. Lions’ quarterback Goff has been outstanding at home this season and will relish the opportunity to face the Steelers’ secondary in the controlled climate of Ford Field. The Lions’ defense, carved up by the Rams last week, should get a reprieve against a Steelers’ offense that passes conservatively and rarely takes deep shots. That should allow the Lions’ banged-up secondary to keep plays in front of them and limit big plays. The Steelers can afford the loss, given a matchup next week against Baltimore at home. Watt also may not play due to a lung issue. The Lions, however, are far more desperate and can’t afford a loss. I’m going with the far more desperate team.

Take the Lions -7

Over/Under Pick for Steelers at Lions

• Over 51.5 (4 units)

Don’t be surprised to see the Lions put up big numbers against the Steelers’ defense on Sunday. These are not the Steelers of old. This unit is much more susceptible to big plays, especially on the road against a potent passing attack. The Lions poured in 34 points against the Rams’ far more formidable defense, and that includes a subpar game from All-Pro running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Expect the Lions to push well past 30 points and the Steelers to put some numbers up against a struggling Lions’ defense.

Take the over, 51.5