Show notes
December 22, 2025 -
Season 16, Episode 67 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can. In this Monday morning episode, Alex Kozora and I get right into our overarching thoughts on the Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 16 Sunday afternoon win against the Detroit Lions.
Was the Steelers’ Sunday road win the best one that HC Mike Tomlin has ever had in the regular season? Alex and I address that question early on in this show. We both make sure to note how surprised we were that the Steelers beat the Lions on Sunday and how enthralling the end of that game was.
In our weekly housekeeping portion of this show, which is sponsored by the fine folks at TouringPlans.com, Alex and I talk about the Steelers' Sunday inactive list and the players who missed the contest due to injuries. We also talk about the transactions that the team made on Saturday afternoon.
Alex and I discuss RB Kaleb Johnson and WR Roman Wilson both being healthy scratches on Sunday and why DL Logan Lee was likely active for the game against the Lions.
The Steelers sustained a few injuries on Sunday, so we discuss those. That list of players included CB Brandin Echols (groin) and WR Calvin Austin III (hamstring).
After going through the newsy items related to Saturday and Sunday, Alex and I look at what all transpired at Ford Field against the Lions. We first talk about the play of the Steelers' offense and how good the rushing attack was. We also discuss several of the big plays made on Sunday and how QB Aaron Rodgers once again seemed to be in total control of the unit. We make sure to discuss how often the Steelers used an empty backfield against the Lions and why.
RB Kenneth Gainwell, RB Jaylen Warren, WR Scotty Miller and WR Adam Thielen all had healthy contributions on Sunday, so we make sure to tip our caps to those players, along with several others.
After a lengthy discussion about the Steelers' offense, Alex and I do the same with their defense. We discuss that unit controlling the Lions' rushing attack and how there were essentially three takeaways on that side of the football on Sunday. We discuss several individual performances on defense against the Lions.
Finally, Alex and I give some thoughts on special teams play from Sunday. We discuss the late miss by K Chris Boswell, the low snap by LS Christian Kuntz and the players that registered tackles in that third phase of the game.
There were several key penalties during the Steelers-Lions game, so we discuss the more notable ones. We also discuss the final play of the game as well.
After discussing Sunday's game in detail, Alex and I discuss the troubling altercation that WR DK Metcalf had with a fan on Sunday. We discuss what has been said about what possibly led to that interaction and whether Metcalf is likely to be suspended for a game for his actions.
After discussing Metcalf's Sunday incident, Alex and I look at the AFC North clinching scenarios for the Steelers heading into Week 16. We discuss the possibility of the Steelers' Week 17 game against the Cleveland Browns possibly being meaningless and if the team would consider resting starters should that ultimately come to fruition.
Is the AFC wide open enough for the Steelers to win at this point? Alex and I address that question later in this show. We also discuss Tomlin registering a 19th non-losing season on Sunday after logging his 200th career win in the NFL.
This 114-minute episode also discusses several other minor topics not noted and we wrap things up by answering several emails we received from listeners.
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