Pittsburgh Steelers vs Detroit Lions Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 12/21/25

The Detroit Lions hope their trend of alternating wins and losses continues when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16 of the NFL season on Sunday afternoon. They have gone win-loss, win-loss all the way back to Week 5 and they are coming off a 41-34 setback against the Rams this past weekend. A seemingly easier matchup with the Steelers should be just what the doctor ordered, so my Steelers vs Lions pick is for the home side to win and cover. There is no shame in losing to the Rams, of course. In fact, Detroit’s last 3 losses have come to Los Angeles, Green Bay and Philadelphia — 3 of the best teams in the NFC — all by 1 possession. The losses certainly haven’t been Jared Goff’s fault. Gauff has surpassed the 300-yard mark in 2 straight games and has thrown 6 touchdown passes without any interceptions over the past 3 outings.

Goff now gets to face a Pittsburgh defense that is expected to be without star pass rusher TJ Watt (lungs). Defensive tackle Keeanu Benton and cornerback James Pierre are also questionable. The situation could also be problematic on the other side of the ball for the Steelers. Offensive linemen Andrus Peat, Isaac Seumalo and Zach Frazier are all questionable for Sunday. At 42 years old, Aaron Rodgers is not particularly effective even when the line in front of him is at 100 percent. Things would be even worse for him if he is running for his life. I think the Lions are close to a touchdown better than the Steelers on a neutral field, so I will happily back them to win by the necessary margin at home.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Detroit Lions prediction: Lions -6.5 (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable to -7.

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