In Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers went into Detroit, MI and stunned the Detroit Lions 29-24. The Lions, being one of the top offenses in the NFL, were held to just 24 points and 15 rushing yards as a team for the entire game. With the win and with the Baltimore Ravens losing to the New England Patriots, the Steelers are now in firm control of the AFC North. The Steelers are set to play the Cleveland Browns in Week 17, and it is still up in the air whether the game will be meaningless, or have high stakes.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin (left) and veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers (right) embrace following Pittsburgh's 29-24 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 16 of the 2025 NFL regular season.
The Ravens play the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, Dec. 27th, 2025, and the Steelers play Sunday, Dec. 28th, 2025. Pittsburgh will know if the division is won or if they still have business to take care of come game time on Sunday. The big talk has been resting starters if the division is won. That's a risky move given the momentum the team has built over the last three games. Long-time Steelers defensive captain and tackle Cameron Heyward on his show, Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, expressed how he feels and what he thinks of the game coming up versus Cleveland.
"I'm locked in trying to win a game, I don't give a d*** what's going on outside the stadium. We got to win this d*** game," Heyward stated. "My urgency got to be high, my teammates' urgency got to be high. Whatever happens elsewhere, happens elsewhere."
Heyward is focused on the task at hand, which is beating the Browns and winning the AFC North, regardless of the Ravens game come Saturday.
Kirk Irwin / AP Photo
Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward tried to shed a block by Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Jedrick Wills Jr during a game in Sept 2022.
The Steelers haven't had the opportunity to rest their starters in preparation for the playoffs since the 2020 season, when they last won the division. With the roster being one of the older rosters in the NFL and having a lot of guys playing banged up, this is a huge opportunity for the Steelers to get healthy for the playoffs.
Steelers' Starters Must Play In Week 17
The Steelers have struggled to build momentum this season. They won three in a row at the start of the year when they sat at 4-1. However, since then, they have been back and forth with wins and losses. The defense did not play well in a lot of those games. The offense has outperformed its talent level for the most part, but also disappeared some, most notably in the Los Angeles Chargers game and Buffalo Bills game. They are now on a three-game winning streak however, where in those three games, they have scored over 25 points while allowing less than 25 in each. The offense and defense have been playing better and better.
Matt Freed / Post-Gazette
Steelers' Cam Heyward sacks Lions QB Jared Goff during a game in the 2025 NFL season.
Two weeks off could completely diminish what the team is building. Now with Aaron Rodgers playing like his vintage self and the older guys stepping up, the team needs the veterans one more week. If all of the non-injured starters play against the Browns, they likely win, and the Ravens game does not matter. That is the best-case scenario, considering the team will be without wide receiver DK Metcalf due to an altercation with a fan. Playing Baltimore for the division title without your top wide receiver would be catastrophic for the Steelers. They do not want the fate of their season to come down to the final game with their top wide receivers being 35 year old Adam Thielen and 31 year old Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
What do you think? Will the Browns game matter? Will the starters play if it doesn't? Let us know in the comments.
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