Rising Steelers look to keep hapless Detroit winless

STEELERS PLAYER TO WATCH: TE Pat Freiermuth. The second-round draft pick just picked up two touchdowns in last week’s win over Chicago. Freiermuth supplanted veteran Eric Ebron atop the depth chart and caught 82% (27 of 33) of the passes thrown in his way.

KEY MATCHUP: Detroit’s offensive line against the Pittsburgh rushers. Steelers LB TJ Watt had three sacks last week against the Bears and is 11 1/2 on the season. If the Lions are to have any chance of eliminating the surprise, they need to protect Goff. Detroit has surrendered 22 sacks in eight games.

KEY INJURIES: Detroit lieutenant Taylor Decker could make his 2021 debut against Pittsburgh. Decker missed each of Detroit’s first eight games with a left index finger injury suffered just before game one of the season. Substitute RB Jamaal Williams suffers from a thigh injury. His absence would put even more workload on the Swift starter. … The Steelers are hoping Ebron will return after missing each of the last two games with a hamstring injury. … WR Chase Claypool’s status is in doubt due to a toe injury.

SERIES NOTES: The Steelers have won each of their previous five meetings with the Lions. Detroit is 0-3 at Heinz Field, with each loss representing at least 10 points. … Pittsburgh is 12-3-1 against Detroit at home and 9-0-1 in the Lions’ last 10 visits. Detroit’s last victory at Pittsburgh came on November 13, 1955, a 31-28 victory at Forbes Field, 66 years ago and two stadiums for the Steelers.

STATISTICS & THINGS: The Lions are the only winless team in the NFL and are trying to avoid joining their 2008 squad which went from 0 to 16 in league infamy. … Goff is averaging 9.7 yards per completion, tied for 31st in the league. The former Los Angeles Ram has been sacked five times, a season high, by Philadelphia. … WR Kalif Raymond has 26 receptions for 334 yards and two scores. He entered the season with no more than nine receptions during one of his four seasons with Denver, both New York and Tennessee. … TE TJ Hockenson recorded a career-high 10 receptions for 89 yards against the Eagles. He’s averaged eight receptions over the previous three games after a three-week spell in which he totaled eight catches. … Decker’s return to the Detroit offensive line should move rookie Penei Sewell to RT. … Detroit’s average defeat margin is 13.75 points. … The Lions allowed Philadelphia to run for 236 yards. … LB rookie Derrick Barnes has made more than five tackles in three of his last four games, including seven against the Eagles. … The Steelers have won four straight after a 1-3 start to return to the AFC North mix. The Steelers didn’t really wow their opponents during their push. Pittsburgh’s average margin of victory over its hot streak is only 4.5 points. … Close wins have been the norm for the Steelers. Each of Pittsburgh’s last seven wins dating back to last season has been eight points or less. … Watt’s 61 career sacks rank fifth in franchise history. Watt is only in his fifth season with Pittsburgh. … Steelers rookie RB Najee Harris has scored at least one touchdown in each of Pittsburgh’s last five games. … Pittsburgh’s reshuffled offensive line is still trying to find a way to protect quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger, 39, has already conceded 18 sacks this season. He only took 13 sacks in 2020.… The game could be the last one the Steelers are favored in for a while. Pittsburgh’s intimidating second-half schedule includes clashes with Baltimore (twice) and visits to Chargers in Los Angeles and Kansas City. … Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin won his 150th career game last week, overtaking Hall of Fame Bill Cowher for second on the franchise’s all-time win list. Tomlin has reached 150 wins in 232 games, the fourth fastest time by a coach in NFL history. … The Steelers won despite an average game in defense. Pittsburgh is 14th in yards allowed in eight games. The last time Pittsburgh finished outside the top 10 in yards allowed was in 2016.… The Steelers forced several turnovers (two) for the first time this season last week against Chicago. Pittsburgh forced multiple turnovers 11 times while winning the AFC North in 2020.