3 Lions Who Must Step Up Against Steelers

The Detroit Lions understand the tough challenge that awaits when they take the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday afternoon. 

Mike Tomlin’s teams are built on physicality and discipline, and Detroit cannot afford mental lapses if it intends on capturing the Week 16 victory. 

For the Lions, this matchup places added pressure on several key contributors whose recent performances have been largely underwhelming. 

If Detroit is going to match Pittsburgh’s energy and toughness, these three Lions must step up in a big way.

K Jake Bates

In games that figure to be tight and highly contested, special teams oftentimes become the deciding factor. 

That reality puts a bright spotlight on Bates heading into Detroit’s Week 16 tilt with the Steelers. 

Bates has been solid overall this season, converting 21 of his 27 field-goal attempts while executing 49 of his 51 extra-point tries. He also tied a franchise record earlier this year with a 59-yard field goal against the N.Y. Giants.

Still, the misses have begun to pile up more than they did during his rookie campaign, when Bates went 26-for-29 on field goals. 

He has already missed six kicks this season, including a costly 43-yard attempt in last week’s defeat at the hands of the L.A. Rams. 

On Sunday, Bates doesn’t need to be perfect, but he does need to be reliable. A clean performance could be the difference between leaving Ford Field with a win or watching another opportunity slip away.

CB D.J. Reed

Reed and his starting cornerback counterpart Amik Robertson have allowed the most yards among all cornerbacks since Week 12. Robertson leads the league with 382 yards given up in coverage, and Reed is second at 302.

Additionally, in Week 14 against the Cowboys, receiver CeeDee Lamb caught all five passes thrown Reed’s way. He also allowed three catches in coverage, on four targets, against Rams receiver Puka Nacua. Nacua secured 79 yards with Reed as his primary defender. 

The proof is in the pudding that Reed has struggled in recent weeks, and has not performed at the level of a No. 1 cornerback – something he was signed to do this past offseason. 

He’ll face a tall task Sunday, too, defending Steelers pass-catcher D.K. Metcalf. 

Metcalf has been Pittsburgh signal-caller Aaron Rodgers’ No. 1 target all season long, and leads the team with 808 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Undoubtedly, the Lions could use a bounce-back outing from Reed in Week 16. 

DL Alim McNeill 

McNeill has totaled 12 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in eight games since returning from a torn ACL he suffered last December. And for his efforts this season, he’s earned a 51.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking just 90th out of 129 qualified interior defensive linemen. The overall mark also pales in comparison to his PFF grade from last season (79.6). 

He also has not been as nearly as efficient of a run-defender (45.0 PFF run-defense grade). In stark contrast, he posted a run-defense mark of 64.5 in 2024. 

Despite the noted struggles, Detroit defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard remains ultra confident in the defensive tackle. 

“Listen, I have all the faith in the world in Alim,” Sheppard said this week. “He’s done good things for us, but it is time for him to kind of kick in as far as being that impactful three technique that we all know he can be.”

Sheppard & Co. will be hoping for a much more productive effort from the defensive lineman in Sunday’s contest vs. the Steelers.

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