Overview
- Detroit fell to 8-7 after its second straight loss and now must win at Minnesota on Thursday and at Chicago while needing Green Bay to lose to Baltimore and at Minnesota to keep postseason hopes alive.
- Pittsburgh improved to 9-6 with a three-game winning streak and can clinch the division with a win at Cleveland.
- The Lions’ offense averages 30.1 points per game, second in the NFL, but the defense allows 24.9 per game and ranks poorly against the pass, leading to repeated shootouts.
- Detroit’s regression follows the exits of coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, losses of two veteran offensive linemen, and an unaddressed need for pass-rush help.
- Steelers star T.J. Watt has missed recent games with a partially collapsed lung, leaving his return a key variable for Pittsburgh’s postseason outlook.