This Sunday, Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will be back in the booth to call yet another Pittsburgh Steelers game. The Steelers versus the Detroit Lions matchup, scheduled for 4:25 PM EST, is shaping up to be one of the biggest games of Week 16, with Detroit in full desperation mode as it fights to keep its playoff hopes alive.
The Lions currently sit on the outside looking in of the NFC playoff picture and essentially need to win out while also getting some help to have a chance at making the postseason.
While opinions on the Nantz and Romo broadcast team may be mixed, their presence signals CBS’s top game of the week, meaning this matchup will draw a nationwide audience and significant attention across the league.
The Pittsburgh Steelers set to take center stage once again on the national stage
The Steelers versus Lions matchup will take place under the national spotlight, with most of the country able to tune in to the broadcast. Sunday will mark the third time this season that Jim Nantz and Tony Romo have called a Steelers game, as they were previously in the booth for the loss against Buffalo and the thriller versus Baltimore.
Detroit will come out swinging, doing everything it can to secure a win and stay alive in the playoff race. For the Lions, this is essentially a playoff game. Pittsburgh must be ready for a heavyweight fight against a talented and desperate opponent.
While this game does little for the Steelers in terms of playoff positioning or the AFC North standings, it presents a valuable opportunity to prove to themselves and the rest of the country that they are legitimate contenders rather than pretenders.
The win over Miami was the Steelers’ most complete performance of the season, but neither the team nor its fans should be taking too much credit for defeating a team that is simply not very good. A victory over Detroit, given the Lions’ talent and urgency, would be the kind of win that turns heads around the league. This should be viewed as a measuring stick game for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A win would provide a major confidence boost and show the Steelers can compete with nearly anyone. A loss, on the other hand, would reveal how far they still have to go and what needs to be fixed to compete in meaningful playoff games.
Under the national spotlight, the Steelers have a chance to finally silence the narrative that they are merely an afterthought, even if they win the AFC North, and prove they can be a real postseason threat.