Lions and Steelers face each other Sunday with both needing a victory to keep pace in playoff hunt

DETROIT (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6) at Detroit Lions (8-6)

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, CBS.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Lions by 7.

Against the spread: Steelers 8-6, Lions 8-6.

Series record: Steelers lead 17-14-2.

Last meeting: Lions and Steelers tied 16-16, OT, in Pittsburgh on Nov. 14, 2021.

Last week: Steelers beat Dolphins 28-15, Lions lost to Rams 41-34.

Steelers offense: overall (27), rush (28), pass (23), scoring (13).

Steelers defense: overall (28), rush (19), pass (27), scoring (18).

Lions offense: overall (4), rush (5), pass (3), scoring (1).

Lions defense: overall (21), rush (13), pass (24), scoring (23).

Turnover differential: Lions plus-9; Steelers plus-10.

RB Kenneth Gainwell. He has emerged as an every-down back after spending most of his first four seasons in Philadelphia as a third-down option. Gainwell has already set career highs in touches (150) and yards from scrimmage (783) and his 57 receptions lead the team. While Jaylen Warren nominally remains the feature back, Gainwell has shown an ability to pop off big runs and his pass-catching skills help extend drives.

RB Jahmyr Gibbs. The speedy running back has scored 47 touchdowns in 46 career games and has 1,100 yards rushing at 5.5 yards per carry this season. His 1,594 yards from scrimmage rank sixth in the NFL and his 6.1 yards per touch is eighth. If teams can hold him in check, the Lions’ play-action passing game tends to struggle.

Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers against the Detroit secondary. If any quarterback knows how to win at Ford Field, it's Rodgers. He won eight of his first 11 starts in Detroit, including his 61-yard touchdown pass to Richard Rodgers on the final play of Green Bay’s 27-23 win on Dec. 3, 2015 — a game in which Detroit led by 11 points in the final four minutes. However, it has been five years since his last win: The Packers lost in 2021 and 2022.

Lions: Detroit’s secondary remains a significant issue. S Brian Branch recently had surgery on his torn Achilles tendon and is expected be out for 8 to 12 months. Detroit’s other starting safety, Kerby Joseph, will sit out with a knee injury. CB Amik Robertson is dealing with a hand injury and is questionable while CB Terrion Arnold is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. … C Graham Glasgow (knee) and LT Taylor Decker (shoulder) are questionable. ... OL Christian Mahogany (leg) participated in Wednesday’s walkthrough and is questionable. ... OL Giovanni Manu (knee), who returned to practice this week but remains on injured reserve, remains out.

Steelers: LB T.J. Watt will miss his second straight game after having surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung. ... LB Nick Herbig is doubtful after injuring his hamstring late on Monday night against Miami. If Herbig and Watt both don’t play, that leaves Alex Highsmith and rookie Jack Sawyer as the primary options on the edge. ... Veteran LG Isaac Seumalo will sit out while dealing with a triceps injury. ... CB James Pierre (calf) will miss his third straight game. ... Rookie DT Derrick Harmon is expected to return from a knee injury.

This will be Detroit’s second matchup with the Steelers with Dan Campbell as coach and first since Nov. 14, 2021. That game turned out to be a turning point for the Lions, who came in at 0-8 in Campbell’s first season. The game finished in a 16-16 tie and the Lions have gone 47-26 since. ... Pittsburgh is 5-0-1 against the Lions in the 21st century and also won Super Bowl XL at Ford Field. ... Detroit’s last win — 19-16 in OT on Thanksgiving Day in 1998 — is infamous for the botched coin flip at the start of overtime. However, the game also has historical value: It was the last win of Barry Sanders’ NFL career.

The Steelers have won two straight following a 2-5 midseason funk to take a one-game lead over Baltimore in the AFC North. ... Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin won his 191st game last week against Miami, moving him past Dan Reeves and into 10th place on the NFL’s career list. Next up is Steelers Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll in ninth with 193 regular-season victories. ... Pittsburgh can clinch its 22nd straight non-losing season with a victory or a tie, which would surpass the Dallas Cowboys for the longest stretch in NFL history of finishing .500 or better. Dallas went 21 years without a losing season from 1965-85. ... Rodgers is 18-8 with 54 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions all-time against the Lions dating to his long run in Green Bay earlier in his career, though Detroit swept the season series from the Packers during Rodgers’ final season in Green Bay in 2022, including a win at Lambeau in the season finale that cost the Packers a playoff spot. ... Rodgers has bounced back over the last two weeks, completing 75% (46 of 61) of his passes for 508 yards and three touchdowns without a pick. ... The Steelers are just 2-11 all-time during Watt’s nine-year career when the perennial Pro Bowler is out of the lineup, though one of those wins came last week against Miami. ... Pittsburgh is 42-29-1 all-time in the game following an appearance on “Monday Night Football,” including a 12-7 mark on the road. The one tie came at home against Detroit in 2021 in Campbell’s first season. ... The Lions will play a 59th straight regular-season game without losing two in a row, the NFL’s longest streak since San Francisco played 60 consecutive games without back-to-back setbacks in the regular season from late in the 1995 season to early in the 1999 season. … The Lions have alternated wins and losses in their last 10 games. … Detroit QB Jared Goff is third in the NFL with 3,672 yards passing, second with 29 touchdown throws and seventh in interception percentage. In the last two weeks, he has thrown for 647 yards, three touchdowns and zero INTs. … Lions WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams combined for 20 catches for 298 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s 41-34 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Lions have allowed 30 points in three straight games and five times total this season, meaning it might be a good time to stack up on Pittsburgh’s offensive players. Gainwell and WR D.K. Metcalf could have big days, and Rodgers is always worth a look in Detroit.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Pittsburgh Steelers' Marquez Valdes-Scantling (11), Aaron Rodgers (8) and Troy Fautanu (76) celebrate after Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught a touchdown pass in the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Pittsburgh, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) calls a play during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Katie Chin)

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks gained ground on Wall Street Friday for a second straight day, wiping away losses from earlier in the week.

Technology stocks were once again the main force behind the market's broader moves, especially companies with a focus on artificial intelligence. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed out the week with gains, despite several stumbles early this week.

The S&P 500 rose 59.74 points, or 0.9%, to 6,834.50. It notched a 0.1% gain for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 183.04 points, or 0.4%, to 48,134.89.

The technology-heavy Nasdaq made the biggest move. It rose 301.26 points, or 1.3%, to 23,307.62 and notched a 0.5% gain for the week.

Nvidia was the biggest force driving the market higher, with a 3.9% gain. Broadcom jumped 3.2%.

The technology sector has been fueling Wall Street throughout the year as companies with outsized values like Nvidia exert more pressure on markets. But, those pricey stock values have come under more scrutiny from investors wondering whether they are justifiable.

Oracle rose 6.6% on news that it, along with two other investors, had signed agreements to form a new TikTok U.S. joint ventur e. Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX each get a 15% share in the popular social video platform, ensuring that it can continue operating in the U.S.

Company earnings and how companies are performing amid tariffs and inflation were a key focus for Wall Street.

Nike slumped 10.5%, as the impact from tariffs overshadowed an otherwise strong quarterly profit report. Frozen potato maker Lamb Weston fell 25.9%, despite also beating Wall Street's profit and revenue forecasts.

Winnebago Industries jumped 8.4% after turning in profits and revenue for its latest quarter that easily beat analysts’ estimates.

Homebuilders fell following a report showing that home sales slowed from a year earlier for the first time since May. KB Home fell 8.5%.

A survey from the University of Michigan showed that consumer sentiment in December improved slightly from November, but is deeply diminished from a year ago.

“Despite some signs of improvement to close out the year, sentiment remains nearly 30% below December 2024, as pocketbook issues continue to dominate consumer views of the economy,” wrote Surveys of Consumers Director, Joanne Hsu.

Consumer confidence has been weakening throughout the year as persistent inflation squeezes consumers. The job market is also slowing while retail sales weaken. Business and consumers are also worrying about the continued impact of a wide-ranging U.S.-led trade war that has targeted key partners including China and Canada.

The latest inflation update on Thursday revealed a surprise cooling of prices in November. The Labor Department reported that its consumer price index rose 2.7%. But economists quickly warned that those numbers were suspect because they’d been delayed and likely distorted by the 43-day federal shutdown.

“The wave of economic data did little to provide clarity for investors this week, keeping the market in the trading range it has been in since September,” said. Mark Hackett, chief market strategist at Nationwide, in a note to investors.

Inflation is still above the Federal Reserve's 2% target. The central bank cut its benchmark interest rate at its most recent meeting. It has been concerned about the slowing job market hurting the economy. But cutting interest rates could add more fuel to inflation, which could also stunt economic growth.

The Fed has maintained a cautious stance about interest rate policy heading into 2026 and Wall Street is mostly betting that it will hold steady on rates at its next meeting in January.

Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.15% from 4.11% late Thursday.

Japanese stocks rose after the Bank of Japan raised its benchmark interest rate to its highest level in 30 years. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 1%, leading the rise across Asia's key markets. Markets in Europe also gained ground.

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AP Business Writer Matt Ott contributed.

Specialist Glenn Carell, left, and trader Robert Charmak work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Trader Jonathan Mueller works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Medline Industries signage is displayed outside the Nasdaq MarketSite, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Trader Vincent Vincent Napolitano, surrounded by holiday decorations, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialists Alex Weitzman, left, and Meric Greenbaum work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

People walk in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing the market indexes of Shanghai, Tokyo and New York Dow at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of a chart showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)