The Bills and Steelers both consider themselves playoff teams. Time is running out to prove it
PITTSBURGH — There are many, many things Mike Tomlin loves about coaching football. The urgency created by the limited number of chances to compete is near the top of the list.
“You get 17 opportunities to state a case for yourself,” the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers coach said.
And 11 of them are already gone for both Pittsburgh (6-5) and the Buffalo Bills (7-4), who visit Acrisure Stadium on Sunday in a game with playoff-like stakes for two clubs who haven't always looked like the playoff teams both expected to be when the season began.
Pittsburgh has dropped four of six, while the erratic Bills have been chasing New England most of the season and could see their half-decade run atop the AFC East all but end with a third loss in four games.
“We understand where we’re at,” Buffalo quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen said. “At the same time, we have full confidence in ourselves. But ultimately it comes down to executing on game days. We’ve had some good, we’ve had some bad throughout the year.”
The latest episode of “bad” came a week ago in Houston, where Allen absorbed a career-high eight sacks. Now he faces a Pittsburgh defense that he has toyed with at times during his career. Allen is 4-1 against the Steelers, including an easy victory in the opening round of the 2023 playoffs in which he passed for three touchdowns and ran for another.
Not much has changed for either side since that meeting. Allen remains a singular force, though the lack of help from his supporting cast at times is one of the reasons the Bills find themselves looking up at New England in the standings as December looms.
While Pittsburgh has switched quarterbacks several times in the interim, with Aaron Rodgers getting the OK to return this weekend after sitting out a loss to Chicago with a broken left wrist, how it fares against the Bills will rely heavily on whether its star-laden but underperforming defense can finally wrangle Allen.
The Steelers didn't do much of it against the Bears, who took advantage of a poor gameplan and a pair of Pittsburgh turnovers to become the fifth team to reach 31 points against the Steelers this season.
There is time to turn things around, yes. But the wiggle room that Pittsburgh enjoyed while getting off to a 4-1 start is gone.
“It's starting to head into that December area,” Steelers inside linebacker Patrick Queen said. “You kind of start getting that feeling. The air gets a little thin. It's cutthroat time.”
Coleman clarification
Buffalo's wide receiver group could use a jolt. Having Keon Coleman on the field would probably help, though it's unclear whether Coleman will get that opportunity.
The talented Coleman has spent a chunk of the season in coach Sean McDermott's doghouse and has been a healthy scratch in recent weeks after missing meetings.
There at least appeared to be a slight thaw between Coleman and McDermott this week. McDermott made it a point to say that the reason Coleman didn't play against Houston was based on wanting to keep the same lineup that the Bills had run out a few days earlier against Tampa Bay, rather than anything discipline-related to Coleman.
The 6-foot-4 Coleman has already set a career high with 32 receptions, though a full quarter of that total came all the way back in Week 1.
“We’ll take it one day at a time," McDermott said when asked about Coleman's availability. “We’ll see where it goes.”
Attention to detail
Rodgers came to Pittsburgh in June with the intention of being what he called a “servant leader” during his 21st and perhaps final season.
While he's been upbeat while trying to bring along an offense that only has one other starter over the age of 30, he also challenged his teammates to raise their level of preparation with six games left.
“I think this is a time where the focus maybe has to go up a little bit more, and the serious approach needs to, needs to maybe tighten up a little bit more,” Rodgers said. “I love what a loose team we are, but sometimes you got to maybe crank that thing up just to maybe 1% and get a little bit more locked in.”
Protecting Allen
Allen will be missing his two top protectors against Pittsburgh.
Left tackle Dion Dawkins (concussion) and right tackle Spencer Brown (right shoulder) have been ruled out. Both were hurt in a 23-19 loss at Houston on Nov. 20. Brown's injury could lead to him missing more time, though McDermott said he's unlikely a candidate to be placed on IR.
Backup Ryan Van Demark is expected to fill in for Dawkins. The Bills have two potential options at right tackle with rookie Chase Lundt and Tylan Grable, a second-year player who has yet to play this season because of a concussion. Grable has resumed practicing and would have to be activated off injured reserve.
Whoever is out there will have to deal with a Pittsburgh pass rush that includes seven-time Pro Bowler T.J. Watt, who almost single-handedly helped the Steelers get their lone win over Allen in a Week 1 upset to start the 2021 season.
“They got a bunch of guys on their front that can absolutely go,” Allen said. “Obviously, you have to know exactly where (No.) 90’s (Watt) at.”
