Steelers vs. Lions: 5 questions with the enemy ahead of Week 16

It’s a big late-season matchup on Sunday as the 8-6 Pittsburgh Steelers take on the 8-6 Detroit Lions. Earlier this week, I spoke with Ryan Mathews, the senior editor of SB Nation’s Lions website Pride of Detroit, to learn what to expect from the Steelers’ Week 16 opponent.

You can read my questions and his answers below:

1. The Lions had the biggest brain drain in the NFL last offseason, losing coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn to head coaching gigs. How has Detroit felt those effects this season?

The effects of those two coordinators leaving Detroit has certainly been felt in a variety of ways. Dan Campbell had to take over play-calling duties from John Morton midway through the season, and Kelvin Sheppard’s debut season has run the gamut; one week, you’re impressed with his adjustments and ability to gameplan for opponents, but the next, they’re getting lit up by the New York Giants with Jameis Winston at the helm.

Their record is a direct reflection of who they’ve been as a football team since Week 5: inconsistent on a week-to-week basis. The lack of complementary football has plagued this team, and without their elite offensive line from the last few seasons, they can’t count on their offense to drag along a defense that’s dead last in explosive passing plays (20+ yards) allowed this season (54).

2. Jared Goff is a polarizing quarterback. What is he currently bringing to the Lions’ offense?

Goff can be a polarizing quarterback for a number of reasons. He doesn’t throw the prettiest ball, his arm strength is limited when making certain throws, and if a play happens to break down, Goff isn’t a quarterback who’s going to make something out of nothing.

But for all his athletic shortcomings, Goff is still an effective quarterback because of his ability to identify coverages, get the ball out on time, and more often than not, make the right throw. Getting the ball into the hands of your playmakers isn’t a novel concept, but Goff excels at it. Detroit has the second-most yards after catch in the NFL – coincidentally, just six yards behind the Steelers – and a lot of that drives the offense. A lot of weight is put on the skill positions to make plays after the catch, and Goff, for the most part, does a good job of facilitating those opportunities.

3. Aidan Hutchinson was one of the NFL’s most elite pass rushers before a brutal season-ending injury cut his 2024 short. With 9.5 sacks so far this season, has his impact remained the same as it was pre-injury?

Hutchinson’s pressure numbers are still amongst the best in the NFLm– he’s actually first according to Pro Football Focus with 85 through 15 weeks. His pass-rush win rate (23.4%) is third in the league among edge defenders, ahead of guys like Micah Parsons, Danielle Hunter, and Trey Hendrickson. He has 9.5 sacks, as you mentioned, and that places him 11th in...