ALLEN PARK -- The bye came at a good time for the Detroit Lions. Perhaps nobody knows that better than Golden Tate.

He's started 54 straight games since signing with the Lions in 2014, a terrific streak that looked as though it might come to a halt when he suffered a shoulder injury before the bye against New Orleans. NFL Network reported the injury as an AC joint issue that was expected to keep him out "a few weeks."

Instead, Tate rested up over the bye, returned to practice Wednesday, was back at work Thursday and is trending very much toward playing Sunday night against Pittsburgh.

"Over this bye week, I had a chance to get a lot of rest and my wife cooked really well," Tate said as he held court before practice Thursday, sitting atop a laundry hamper. "I'm 29, so I guess I'm considered young still, so I guess I can still heal up pretty quickly. But I don't know. First time I've dealt with this.

"I'm just trying to test myself and see where I am and see what adjustments need to be made."

After two days of practice, Tate said he's not inhibited by the shoulder at all. And a few hours after practice Thursday, he tweeted a gif that could have been about anything, but surely isn't a bad sign about how he's feeling either.

Tate wants to play, and the Lions need him. He is Matthew Stafford's top target, with 36 catches for 363 yards and two touchdowns. He also leads the offense in first downs (17), which should come as no surprise to anyone paying attention. While Marvin Jones is a better deep threat, Tate is the chain mover of the offense.

The receivers struggled to gain separation without him in the fourth quarter against New Orleans, and now they face a Pittsburgh defense that is one of the finest in the league. With Kenny Golladay trending toward not playing, Detroit is dealing with all kinds of personnel issues right now.

But Tate sure seems to be trending the other way, with one day of practice to go.

"I'm still trying to get my strength back and my mobility and stability," he said. "I kind of have that attitude that I'm going to make it work. No pain, no gain."