Lions quarterback Jared Goff twice thought he had delivered a winning touchdown in the game’s final seconds, only for both to be ruled out for offensive pass interference, sparking furious scenes at Ford Field.
“Crazy game…so happy to get a win,” said Rodgers, describing the high-stakes clash’s final moments as “chaos.”
Pittsburgh’s win means the Chicago Bears and the San Francisco 49ers are guaranteed for the NFL playoffs.
A dour first half was notable mainly for an incident involving Pittsburgh receiver DK Metcalf, who reached into the stands and appeared to throw a punch at a Lions fan.
Though the Detroit supporter did not appear to be hurt, Metcalf may face disciplinary action.
Pittsburgh took a third-quarter lead with a two-point safety for sacking Goff in his own endzone, and never relinquished the advantage.
Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell made one of the catches of the season, seizing the ball with one hand while horizontal on the floor before rising to sprint across the line for a touchdown.
With barely two minutes left, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell missed a 37-yard field goal that could have put the game almost beyond reach.
But the Lions could not quite capitalize, with an Amon-Ra St Brown catch and a Goff rush across the line both ruled out after extensive discussion among officials.
Elsewhere on Sunday, a battle of two of the NFL’s most in-form teams saw the league-leading Denver Broncos’ 11-game win streak snapped by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The impressive Jaguars won 34-20 for a sixth win in a row, breaking Denver’s unbeaten home record this season, and moving to an 11-4 record.
Justin Herbert threw two touchdowns and rushed for another as the Los Angeles Chargers beat the already-eliminated Dallas Cowboys 34-17.
Quarterback Herbert produced a near flawless performance, with 300 passing yards from 23-of-29 attempts with no interceptions.
The Buffalo Bills also powered towards the playoffs with a 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen had a quiet afternoon, leaving the Bills ground game to grind out victory, with running back James Cook rushing for two touchdowns and 117 yards.
The wins mean both the Chargers and Bills could wrap up a playoff berth on Monday if the Indianapolis Colts fail to beat the 49ers.
The faltering Tampa Bay Buccaneers stumbled to a 23-20 defeat on the road to the Carolina Panthers in a crucial NFC South divisional tussle.
The Panthers vaulted into first place in the division following the win, which leaves them with an 8-7 record with the Bucs second on 7-8.
The loss was another hammer blow for Tampa Bay, who have taken just one win from their last seven games to allow Carolina to edge past them in the divisional standings.
And the Kansas City Chiefs, eliminated from postseason contention last week, endured another miserable afternoon with a lackluster showing in a 26-9 defeat to the lowly Tennessee Titans (3-12) in Nashville.
The Chiefs’ defeat was compounded by an injury to back-up quarterback Gardner Minshew, who exited in the second quarter with what reports said was a possible anterior cruciate ligament tear.
Chiefs starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered an identical injury in last week’s loss to the Chargers. (AFP)