Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers have won two consecutive games for the first time since October. They’re playing complimentary football right now, but some are still skeptical of whether the Steelers are legit or not. There’s a good portion of the fanbase and media that think the Steelers will be one-and-done again if they reach the playoffs.
Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger thinks a Steelers’ win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday will be a big statement and prove that they have what it takes to make a run at a Super Bowl.
“I’ve said this before when I played, the eventual Super Bowl champion, whatever team that is, has probably lost their last game already, at this point in the season,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his Footbahlin podcast. “Most likely, the eventual Super Bowl champion will not lose again. If that’s gonna be Pittsburgh, which I know fans out there are still like, ‘Well, we’re not that good,’ but they’re clicking.
“The defense is looking good, and you need to start looking good now. You can have all these errors leading up to this. Now’s the time. The question is gonna be, do we have a team right now that can get to a Super Bowl and potentially win it?”
Even though the Lions are 8-6 and outside of the NFC playoff picture currently, Roethlisberger still thinks Detroit is a Super Bowl-caliber team. The Lions have two elite running backs and pair of top-tier wide receivers. They also have two big-name defensive players in linebacker Jack Campbell and edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson.
The Steelers have opened up as 6.5-point underdogs for their Week 16 road matchup against the Detroit Lions, according to odds posted by DraftKings Sportsbook. Pittsburgh has a +270 money line, and the over/under total for the game is 50.5 points.
That’s a pretty big spread, but oddsmakers apparently like the Lions’ chances at home against the Steelers who have a short week to prepare, since they played on Monday night. They could also be without their two of their top three edge rushers in T.J. Watt (lungs) and Nick Herbig (hamstring).
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was surgical in Monday night’s 28-15 win over the Miami Dolphins. The four-time MVP completed 23 of 27 passes (85.2%) for 224 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 125.9.
Rodgers’ 85.2% completion percentage was his best since 2014. Over the last two weeks, he has a 75.4% completion rate with 508 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 116.0 passer rating. His 0.25 EPA per dropback is seventh in the NFL among QBs with 40 attempts during this span, per TruMedia.
Rodgers feels like he’s in the zone right now. That’s a good sign with the Steelers’ most important games of the season coming up.
“Probably the cold weather,” Rodgers said of finding his stride. “I’m a California kid, but I’ve always enjoyed playing in the cold weather. I feel like there can be some advantages to the...
