(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
The Steelers can't afford a letdown on Sunday against the 0-8 Lions. They have a brutal schedule down the stretch, and five of their last eight games are on the road. In addition, they play just one team that currently has a losing record -- the 3-5 Vikings.
As we witnessed in Week 9, it's "Any Given Sunday" in the NFL, as there were numerous upsets. Who had the Bills getting beat by the Jaguars? With playing on Monday night, the Steelers have a short week to prepare for the Lions, and Detroit is well-rested with coming off their bye week. The Steelers should take care of business against the Lions, but it could be closer than what people think.
Oddssharks.com currently has the Steelers as 9-point favorites, and the over/under is 42.5 points.
The total has gone under in five of the Lions' last six games. And Detroit is 0-9 straight up in their last nine games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh. The last time the Lions beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh was in 1955. The Steelers and Lions tied in Pittsburgh in 1959.
The Steelers are 1-5 against the spread in its last six home games and are 0-5 against the spread in its last five games against NFC teams.
The Steelers are 17-14-1 all-time against the Lions and have won five straight games against Detroit. The last time the Steelers lost to the Lions was on Thanksgiving Day in 1998, which is infamously known as the Jerome Bettis coin toss game.
Under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers are 3-0 against the Lions. The Lions, Falcons, Panthers and Rams are the only teams that Tomlin hasn't lost to in his career.