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Pittsburgh (8-6-0) at Detroit (8-6-0)
- When: Dec 21 2025, 4:25 PM
- Where: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
- Where to watch: CBS
- Last Meeting: 16-16, November 14th, 2021
Pittsburgh vs Detroit Preview & Prediction
Spread: Detroit -7.0
Moneyline: Detroit (-360)
Total: 52.0
Detroit Lions
On paper, this looks simple. Detroit is favored by seven points, playing at home, and desperately trying to stay alive in the playoff race. Which is exactly why Lions fans are sweating already.
History has not been kind. Detroit has not beaten Pittsburgh in forever, and the Steelers even won a Super Bowl inside Ford Field. Yes, that actually happened. The building remembers. The ghosts remember. Lions fans definitely remember.
Detroit sits at eight and six and somehow still has postseason dreams despite playing hot potato with wins and losses for two straight months. They have not strung together back to back wins in weeks, yet they also refuse to lose twice in a row. It is the most Lions thing possible. Perfect balance. Maximum stress.
Jared Goff has been saying all the right things about character, adversity, and finding out who they are. Translation. This team knows the margin for error is gone. Lose here and the season starts feeling like expired milk.
The run game remains Detroit’s backbone. When the Lions are at their best, they punch you in the mouth, control the clock, and let the crowd do the rest. Ford Field is no longer polite. It is loud, angry, and expects results.
Detroit knows this is not just a must win. It is a must convince everyone we are still legit type of game.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers arrive with an equally weird résumé. Eight and six, sitting atop their division, and somehow doing it with duct tape, vibes, and pure stubbornness. They do not care about your spread, your trends, or your emotional stability.
Aaron Rodgers has spent years ruining Detroit Sundays and now returns to a building that has finally found its voice. He respects it now. That should scare Lions fans even more.
Pittsburgh runs the ball like a team that does not trust anyone else. One back gets hot, the other gets fed, and defenses slowly lose the will to live. It is not flashy, but it is effective.
Offensive line injuries are a concern. That said, Steelers quarterbacks have survived worse situations fueled entirely by spite and fourth quarter chaos. Expect Pittsburgh to hang around whether Detroit likes it or not.
Defensively, the Steelers remain annoying, opportunistic, and perfectly content letting you make mistakes while they wait patiently like a villain monologuing.
Betting Outlook and Final Prediction
This game has points written all over it, but it also has chaos energy. Detroit needs this badly. Pittsburgh does not care what Detroit needs.
Expect a close game longer than Lions fans are comfortable with. Expect late drama. Expect at least one moment where the stadium goes silent.
Detroit finally snaps the curse, but not without stress.
Final Score: Lions 31, Steelers 27
Lean: Pittsburgh +7.0
Total: Over 52.0
- NFL Football Odds source: Bovada Sportsbook
- Get real-time live scores & latest betting odds here!
