Photo: steelers.com
Steel City Underground presents post-game takeaways following each 2025 NFL regular season game that focuses on how the Pittsburgh Steelers performed, key statistics, their opponents and more!
The Pittsburgh Steelers were nowhere close to being the favorites to win the Week 16 game of the 2025 NFL regular season on the road against the Detroit Lions. Despite improvement over the past two weeks, the Steelers were expected to be carved-up by the Lions offense. Instead, Pittsburgh’s defense and offense played a complete game down to the wire. Despite the chaos surrounding the final play of the game, the Steelers halted the Lions, winning 29-24. We offer our biggest takeaways from the victory.
Pittsburgh has had the good fortune of having a potent one-two threat in running backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. Although the run game has not always been effective this season, the duo combined for three touchdowns against the Lions.
Warren had two big 45-yard breakout runs against Detroit to walk into the end zone, twice, against the Lions defense. On the afternoon, Warren gained 143 yards on the ground on 14 carries.
Putting the pedal to the metal 🙌 @Nunless2
📺: #PITvsDET on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/hvEc4ZI47T
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 21, 2025
AND HE’S OFF 🏁 @Nunless2
📺: #PITvsDET on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/FjTFxpNs3G
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 22, 2025
Gainwell, who had an incredibly athletic catch while on the ground – and had the sense to get up and carry the ball into the end zone – scored on a deep pass from Aaron Rodgers. His play has been complimentary in both the ground and air games for Pittsburgh’s offense throughout the season.
Rodgers’ age is a topic that just won’t go away, but it hasn’t kept the quarterback from communicating with the coaching staff about looking for the right plays, making adjustments at the line, or reading opposing defenses of late. His veteran experience showed up on Sunday in a game the Steelers needed to win.
As Dan Campbell tried to set his Lions defense up for success, Rodgers found ways to work around that. He threw the ball to ten different teammates in a game that was a defensive battle through much of the first half. Despite injuries to Calvin Austin and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Rodgers didn’t try to force his passes to D.K. Metcalf, but got Adam Thielin, Pat Freiermuth, and Scotty Miller involved in their place.
On defense, veteran players made some of the biggest plays of the night. Cameron Heyward had a sack in the game, 2 QB hits and a tackle for a loss while anchoring the defensive line that was comprised of rookies Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black in rotation with Keeanu Benton. Alex Highsmith set the tone opposite Jack Sawyer to log 2 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits. Kyle Dugger earned a big sack on Jared Goff for a safety while leading the defense in total tackles.
As the final two games of the regular season approach, veteran leadership is keeping the Steelers in contention for an AFC North division title and playoff push.
Steelers fans have lived through years of stress-filled games. On Sunday, Detroit got within five points… and then were knocking on the door for the game winning touchdown. Things don’t get much more stressful than that.
During the Lions’ final drive, two penalties against Pittsburgh gave Goff and company extra yardage. Then things went back and forth. Goff completed a pass, the Steelers defended the next.
On 1st & GOAL and the PIT 1, a touchdown pass was nullified due to offensive pass interference on Isaac TeSlaa. Detroit then hurt themselves with an offensive false start. After a completed 7-yard pass, the Steelers defended the next two well, making a stand.
With 8 seconds left in the game, on 4th & GOAL at the PIT 9, Goff threw a completed pass to Amon-Ra St.Brown. Joey Porter Jr was in to stop the Lions receiver’s progress short of the goal line, but – in an odd twist – St. Brown flipped the ball to Goff who dived into the end zone.
Confusion and chaos ensued. Had a whistle been blown to end the play before Goff caught the lateral? Was it a game-winning touchdown?
After a lengthy on-field discussion by officials, it was determined that St. Brown had actually been guilty of offensive pass interference (similar to a move that Metcalf had been flagged for earlier in the game). It was determined that since St. Brown’s progress was halted, he’d committed a penalty before catching the ball, and time had reached 00:00 on the game clock before Goff’s last-ditch leap, the touchdown did not count because the penalty nullified the down.
At the end of #PITvsDET, the ruling on the field was:
A completed catch, a backwards lateral, and a touchdown by Detroit. There was a flag thrown for offensive pass interference.
The clock was at 0:00 when the touchdown occurred and because the penalty was committed by the… pic.twitter.com/ynPWqFhxXr
— Gene Steratore (@GeneSteratore) December 22, 2025
It was a close game. Pittsburgh faces the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens to close out the regular season.
