1. Be like Mike
A victory at the Detroit Lions on Sunday would mean a lot to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff chances. It also would add plenty to the resume of coach Mike Tomlin.
His next victory will be his 200th — if you add up those achieved in the postseason. To this point, only 10 coaches in NFL history have hit 200 wins. Tomlin, 53, also would become the third-youngest to hit the 200 milestone. He has 191 during the regular season, 10th-most in NFL history.
Tomlin’s next win — assuming it comes over one of the next three games before the end of this regular season — would clinch a 19th consecutive non-losing season to start his career. No other coach started a career with more than 14 in a row, but only one coach (Tom Landry, with 21) has a longer streak of non-losing seasons at any point over his career.
Tomlin’s next win will also move him within one of Steelers’ longtime Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll for the most for the franchise in the regular season (193).
2. No pressure?
The Steelers offensive line has the consensus best “pressure rate” in the NFL. But does that mean the o-line is elite at protecting Aaron Rodgers? Or does it merely signal Rodgers has been so set on getting rid of the ball quickly?
Both Next Gen Stats and The 33rd Team have the Steelers with the NFL’s lowest pressure rate allowed this season, the former pegging that figure at 21.9% of their quarterbacks’ dropbacks and the latter putting it at 26.5%.
As Next Gen points out, Rodgers has the quickest average time to throw in the league (2.65 seconds). When he is pressured, the opponent typically is bringing him down. Only three league quarterbacks are sacked on a higher rate of their pressures (26.1%).
3. Oh, man
The Steelers spent the offseason saying they wanted to be a press-man defensive team in their secondary. They mostly have been in 2025 — their 31.2% rate of playing man is the sixth-highest in the NFL (according to Sharp Football Analysis).
The problem, at least inasmuch as Sunday’s game, is that the Lions have a pair of receivers who thrive against man.
Per data from Pro Football Focus, Detroit’s Jameson Williams has the third-best passer rating when targeted while in man coverage in the NFL at 145.3. The Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown ranks fifth in passer rating when targeted while facing man (127.3).
So… the Steelers should just play zone, right? The problem is, Williams and St. Brown are both just really good — regardless of scheme. They rank eighth and 12th, respectively, in passer rating when targeted while facing zone.
4. A track meet?
Should we expect plenty of big plays Sunday in Detroit?
Lions games typically feature no shortage of them. As relayed by Sharp Football, Detroit’s offense has had 29 gains of 30 or more yards this season; only one team has more. Detroit’s defense, however, has allowed 30 plays of 30 or more yards — the most in the league.
During last week’s game at the Los Angeles Rams, the Lions struck for two 30-plus yard plays and allowed three.
The Steelers have 18 plays of 30-plus yards and have allowed 17 such plays in their 14 games this season. Four of those plays on offense have come over the past two games. Extending to plays of at least 20 yards, the Steelers have 11, including 10 on passing plays.
That translates into such a “splash” play (20 or more yards) on 12.5% of their passing plays over the past two games. In the 12 games this season before that, the Steelers struck for such big passing plays just 6.8% of the time.
