Pittsburgh Steelers vs Detroit Lions Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/21/2025

Game Time: 4:25 pm ET, Sunday, December 21, 2025

Venue:  Ford Field, Detroit, MI

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Steelers +7, Lions -7; Over/Under:  52.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Steelers +7, Lions -7; Over/Under:  52 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Steelers +7, Lions -7; Over/Under:  52 points

Pittsburgh Steelers:  8-6 (1st place, AFC North)

Detroit Lions:  8-6 (3rd place, NFC North)

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Pittsburgh Steelers:  won their last game at home against the Miami Dolphins 28-15.

Detroit Lions:  lost their last game on the road against the Los Angeles Rams 41-34.

The Steelers are entering this game with an 8-6 record overall and they have a 3-1 record in their divisional games too. They are 4-3 in their home games, 3-3 in their road games, and they are also 1-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against the Miami Dolphins 28-15. Aaron Rodgers was the starting QB and he completed 23/27 passes for 224 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Kenneth Gainwell led the team in rushing yards with 80. DK Metcalf led the receivers with 55 receiving yards on 3 receptions and 1 TD. Patrick Queen led the defense in that game with 9 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Jalen Ramsey, Cameron Heyward, Payton Wilson, and Esezi Otomewo each led the defense in sacks with 1. Asante Samuel Jr. came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

The Lions are entering this game with an 8-6 record overall and they have a 1-3 record in their divisional games too. They are 5-2 in their home games, 3-4 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against the Los Angeles Rams 41-34. Jared Goff was the starting QB and he completed 25/41 passes for 338 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Jahmyr Gibbs led the team in rushing yards with 38. Amon-Ra St. Brown led the receivers with 164 receiving yards on 13 receptions and 2 TDs. Jack Campbell led the defense in that game with 9 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles while Aidan Hutchinson and Roy Lopez each led the defense in sacks with 1. Aidan Hutchinson came away with the only interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have the Lions listed as a 7 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Lions have looked good in their games this season with their 8-6 record overall, but that record has them right near the bottom of the NFC North in a competitive division. They have looked great on their home field though with their 5-2 home record this year. Meanwhile, the Steelers have looked good in their games this season with their 8-6 record overall which has them right at the top of the AFC North. They haven't been a great road team though with their 3-3 road record this year. The Steelers are off a 28-15 win over the Dolphins in their last one and they have some momentum on their side now with 2 wins in a row. They have retaken the lead in the division and they control their own destiny, but this won't be an easy game for them. The Lions are off a 41-34 loss to the Rams in their last one and they did blow a halftime lead in that game, but losing to the Rams on the road with how good they have looked lately is not a bad loss to take. The Lions are going to be desperate though as they are currently outside of the playoff picture, so they are going to throw everything they have at this game to bounce back at home. They have also been really good responding to a loss under Campbell as they haven't lost back-to-back games in over a year. The Steelers have looked good lately against weaker opponents, but the Lions are a step up in class for them with the talent that they have. The best way to place a bet here is on the Lions to cover the spread in this game. 

Steelers Lions Prediction:  Our NFL Pick for Sunday, December 21, 2025 (4:25 pm ET start time) is Lions 38 Steelers 17.

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Pittsburgh Steelers: 14-26 ATS against NFC North division opponents. 4-8 ATS on the road when playing against a team with a winning record. 3-7 ATS on the road versus good rushing teams - averaging 130 rushing yards/game or more. 4-0 OVER against NFC North division opponents. 

Detroit Lions: 33-19 ATS in all games. 18-9 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 17-10 ATS after scoring 30 points or more last game. 19-7 OVER as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 17-8 OVER in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 45.5.

Pittsburgh Steelers:  A. Rodgers (QB) Injured - Left Wrist. A. Peat (OG) Injured - Concussion. T. Watt (LB) Injured - Lung. I. Seumalo (OG) Injured - Triceps. J. Pierre (CB) Injured - Calf. B. Skowronek (WR) Injured - Illness. N. Herbig (LB) Injured - Hamstring. D. Harmon (DL) Injured - Knee.

Detroit Lions:  T. Decker (OT) Injured - Shoulder. K. Awosika (OG) Injured - Foot. A. Robertson (CB) Injured - Hand. T. Colon (C) Injured - Wrist. K. Joseph (S) Injured - Knee. T. Harper (S) Injured - Concussion. G. Manu (OG) Injured - Knee. C. Mahogany (OG) Injured - Fibula. S. Vaki (RB) Injured - Thumb.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been a part of stuff like this. Nothing changes. It’s just, I feel real comfortable in this environment.” - Aaron Rodgers after their win against the Dolphins in their last game. 

“Third quarter was rough on us. They got a jump on us that we couldn’t overcome. Nacua had a huge day. We couldn’t slow him down. Stafford played at a really high level, which we knew he would if we couldn’t disrupt him, and more importantly, stop the run. We weren’t able to do that.” - Dan Campbell after his team’s loss against the LA Rams in their last game. 

WR Metcalf, DK

WR Thielen, Adam

WR Austin III, Calvin

TE Washington, Darnell

QB Rodgers, Aaron

RB Warren, Jaylen

WR TeSlaa, Isaac

WR Williams, Jameson

WR St. Brown, Amon-Ra

TE Zylstra, Shane

QB Goff, Jared

RB Gibbs, Jahmyr

Passing: Aaron Rodgers (2,594)

Rushing: Jaylen Warren (685)

Receiving: DK Metcalf (808)

Touchdowns: DK Metcalf (7)

Passing: Jared Goff (3,672)

Rushing: Jahmyr Gibbs (1,100)

Receiving: Amon-Ra St. Brown (1,140)

Touchdowns: Jahmyr Gibbs (16)

Coaches:

Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Tomlin (19th season)

Detroit Lions: Dan Campbell (5th season)