Lions vs. Steelers: Why the Middle of the Field Could Decide Detroit’s Postseason Push
Week 16 delivers a gritty, late-December showdown in Detroit, as the Lions host the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game loaded with playoff implications. Pittsburgh is clawing for control of the AFC North, while the Lions are still very much in the thick of NFC playoff positioning. And while big names and splash plays tend to dominate headlines this time of year, this matchup is shaping up to be won-or lost-between the hashes.
Let’s break it down.
Pittsburgh’s Game Plan: Attack the Seams, Control the Tempo
The Steelers’ offensive identity has crystallized over the back half of the season. With Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, Pittsburgh’s passing game is at its most dangerous when the ball comes out fast and finds targets in the short-to-intermediate range-especially down the seams.
They’re not trying to win with flash. They’re trying to win with precision and physicality. And that starts with their tight ends.
Darnell Washington brings the kind of size that makes him look like a sixth offensive lineman-he’s 6-foot-7 and nearly 300 pounds-but he’s more than just a blocker. Pat Freiermuth is a technician in space, working option routes with a quarterback who’s made a Hall of Fame career out of reading leverage and exploiting it.
And Jonnu Smith? He’s a yards-after-catch machine, capable of turning a simple dump-off into a 20-yard gain if a defense loses its angles.
The Steelers want to stress the second level of the defense. They want to force linebackers into coverage decisions, then punish them for guessing wrong. And that brings us to one of the most important players on the field this Sunday: Alex Anzalone.
Anzalone’s Role: The Quiet Key to Detroit’s Defensive Success
If Detroit is going to hold serve at home and keep its postseason hopes on track, it starts with controlling the middle of the field-and that means Anzalone needs to be at his best.
Anzalone isn’t just a steady presence in the Lions’ linebacker corps-he’s one of the more versatile and dependable coverage linebackers in the league. His ability to read and react in space allows Detroit to be aggressive up front without leaving the back end exposed. And when you’ve got a front led by Aidan Hutchinson that thrives on pressure, that balance is critical.
Rodgers has made a living neutralizing pass rushes by getting the ball out before the rush gets home. Quick slants, seam shots, tight end crossers-he doesn’t need much time to do damage. That’s where Anzalone’s instincts come into play.
Whether he’s dropping into zone, carrying a tight end up the seam, or matching underneath routes in man coverage, Anzalone consistently shrinks windows and forces quarterbacks to hold the ball just a beat longer. That half-second can be the difference between a completion and a sack-or even a turnover.
And against a veteran like Rodgers, discipline is everything. If your linebackers bite on play action or lose track of a route concept, he’ll take the easy yards and keep the chains moving. But if Anzalone can stay clean with his reads and close downhill when needed, Detroit can turn those short throws into minimal gains-and force Pittsburgh to string together long, mistake-free drives.
The Bigger Picture: Complementary Football
This is where Detroit’s defensive structure really matters. When you can trust a linebacker like Anzalone to hold his own in coverage, you don’t have to drop extra defenders into the middle.
That frees up the front four to pin their ears back and chase the quarterback. It’s complementary football at its finest-coverage helping rush, rush helping coverage.
It’s also the kind of setup that tests a quarterback’s patience. Rodgers is still capable of carving up a defense, but he’s not the same player who could buy time forever outside the pocket. If Detroit can force him into long drives, play after play, it increases the chances of a mistake-or at least a third-and-long that puts the Lions’ pass rush in attack mode.
The Unsung Battle That Could Swing the Game
This isn’t the kind of matchup that’s likely to be decided by a 60-yard bomb or a strip sack. More likely, it’s going to come down to the little things-the five-yard completions that either move the chains or come up short, the tight end route that’s either covered or left open, the linebacker who either reads the play or gets caught flat-footed.
Anzalone isn’t the flashiest name on this Lions defense, but his role this week couldn’t be more important. If he plays fast, smart, and physical, Detroit has a real shot to control the pace of the game and keep Rodgers from finding his rhythm.
In a must-win game with playoff stakes on the line, it’s often the guys doing the dirty work in the middle of the field who make the difference. And for the Lions, that spotlight belongs squarely on No. 34.