The Lions and Steelers playoff odds are headed in opposite directions after a wild finish to Week 16

The Detroit Lions were one of the favorites to represent the NFC and play in their first Super Bowl at the start of the 2025 season. Pittsburgh Steelers they were seen as a playoff hope after signing the 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers to play quarterback, but nothing better than a long shot to win the AFC North title. The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals looked like significantly better teams.

The reality of the situation is like that lions (8-7) are struggling and will likely need to beat the Minnesota Vikings (7-8) to stay out of last place in the NFC North. There’s still a chance they can catch the Green Bay Packers for the final playoff spot, but Dan Campbell‘with that he has fallen hard and is not likely to get up.

The Steelers came into Ford Field and outplayed the Lions for most of the game, then held on in the late stages of the 4th quarter to post a 29-24 triumph. The Steelers improved their record to 9-6 with the win, while the second-place Ravens are now 7-8 after the loss to the New England Patriots.

The only way Mike Tomlin and the Steelers forfeit the division title if they lose to the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 while the Ravens win on the road against the Green Bay Packers and then beat the Steelers at Heinz Field in the final game of the season.

The Lions have fallen apart over the last month while the Steelers are riding a 3 game win streak.

Trouble with the Lions starts with coaching decisions, defections and injuries

The window appears to be closing the Lions. This team made a big statement in the 2023 season, and their rise continued last year. However, they failed to get past the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game when they were considered “up-and-coming” two years ago, and injuries cost them against the upstart Washington Commanders in last year’s playoffs.

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left to become the head coach of the Chicago Bears and the team has been sorely lacking his creativity this season. The same goes for losing defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets on the other side of the ball. He inspired his players to leave everything on the field in every game and that characteristic is missing this season.

Then there’s head coach Dan Campbell. He turned the Lions into an aggressive, neck-and-neck team in his first four years with the team, but that’s not a winning formula every fourth game. There are times when it’s better to punt or kick field goals, and Campbell’s violent tendencies have come back to bite him this season.

The Lions are fighting to stay out of last place. If the Vikings (7-8) can beat them at home on Christmas Day, Minnesota will escape the cellar and switch places with Detroit.

It would be one of the most shocking events of the season. The Lions still have Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameer Gibbs and Aidan Hutchinson. There is no way this team is in this position. However, the Lions have suffered a myriad of injuries and have failed to score in 4 of their last 6 games, including 2 consecutive losses at the most important point of the season

The Steelers are overcoming weaknesses and growing in the AFC North

After a rough start to the season in which the Steelers won 4 of their first 5 games, the Steelers struggled in the middle part of the schedule. They would lose 5 of their next 7 games as the offense looked ordinary and the defense fell apart.

Defense has been the identity of this team for generations, but the Steelers have been at or near the bottom of the rankings for most of the season. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was trying to keep the team from drowning, but the struggles were real.

But just when it looked like the season was going to slip away, the Steelers came away with back-to-back wins over the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins and Lions to take command of the AFC North.

If Tomlin can pull out a win for his team Sunday in Cleveland, the Steelers will clinch the division title a week before the regular season finale at home against the Ravens.

Rodgers was decent through the first 3 quarters of the season, but picked it up dramatically during the winning streak. He completed 275 of 412 passes for 2,860 yards with 23 TDs and 7 interceptions.

He has the best playmaker in running back Kenneth Gainwell who rushed for 501 yards, 4 TDs and a 4.91 yards per carry average along with 62 receptions for 410 yards and 3 TDs. His TD reception late in the first half against the Lions is one of the plays of the year, as he caught the ball on the turf, picked himself up and ran untouched into the end zone.

TJ Watt is the Steelers’ top defensive player, but he has missed the last two games with a partially collapsed lung. If the Steelers are going to make any noise in the postseason, they’re going to need Watt back in the lineup.

Tomlin’s Steelers came through when their backs were against the wall. They are about to overtake and win the division.