Jeffrey T. Barnes/Connected Press
The Buffalo Bills moved one step nearer to their first AFC East crown since the 1995 season.
Buffalo defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-15 in Sunday’s possible playoff preview at Bills Stadium and improved to 10-3 on the year. Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and the protection led the ability for the victors, who admire received three in a row and are two video games sooner than the 8-5 Miami Dolphins within the division.
Pittsburgh has now misplaced two in a row after a hit its opening 11 video games of the season. It’s mute sooner than the 9-3 Cleveland Browns within the AFC North, however the division hurry is powerful nearer down the stretch than it seemed it’d be exact weeks ago.
Distinguished Participant Stats
- Josh Allen, QB, BUF: 24-of-43 for 238 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 6 carries for 27 yards
- Stefon Diggs, WR, BUF: 10 catches for 130 yards, 1 TD
- Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT: 21-of-37 for 187 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, PIT: 6 catches for 55 yards, 1 TD
Bills Defense Stifles Wide Ben and Co.
Pittsburgh’s offense used to be firmly underneath the microscope in this matchup.
Finally, it scored lower than 20 functions in every of its final two video games in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens and Washington. Ben Roethlisberger also entered play with a three-game interception dawdle and looked as if it could per chance per chance probably per chance per chance power the problem a bit extra with working abet James Conner sidelined with an injury.
Even supposing Conner used to be abet, it used to be extra of the identical Sunday.
Pittsburgh punted on its first 5 possessions and entirely scored when it took profit of a snappy field following a turnover with a landing strike from Wide Ben to James Washington. Roethlisberger also threw a landing to the wicked workforce within the final minute of the principle half when Taron Johnson’s pick-six build the Bills forward for the principle time.
Issues didn’t get powerful higher out of the locker room, as the working game used to be nonexistent and Roethlisberger confronted stress even though he shunned a series of sacks along with his ability to flee.
Offensive linemen Matt Feiler and Kevin Dotson were ruled out with shoulder injuries, making issues powerful extra aggravating, and the dearth of a working game intended Buffalo’s defensive line could per chance per chance home in on the quarterback without powerful hesitation.
Even with all that, a landing pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster and the following two-point conversion reduce the deficit to eight within the fourth quarter, but Roethlisberger’s second interception—this time to Levi Wallace—all but ended any real looking comeback hopes.
Bills Offense Comes Alive in Second Half
If there used to be ever a time for Allen to continue his particular person momentum and sever up a Steelers protection, it used to be Sunday.
Devin Bush, Bud Dupree, Robert Spillane, Vince Williams and Joe Haden were amongst the Pittsburgh defenders who were sidelined with injuries, making the unit far less dauntless. That figured to sure the ability for Allen, who threw for 375 yards, four touchdowns and nil interceptions his final day day out in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers.
Allen also averaged 307.75 passing yards per game in his old four outings and tallied 12 combined touchdowns to three interceptions in that span.
So powerful for issues sticking to the script within the early going, as Allen threw an interception to Mike Hilton and Dawson Knox misplaced a fumble in a vital half that saw Buffalo arrange exact three offensive functions.
After constantly stalling sooner or later of the gap two quarters, Buffalo in the end confirmed some existence after its facet took the lead with the Johnson pick-six. Allen locked in on Diggs and discovered him four times on the gap possession of the second half, the final of which build the Bills offense within the ruin zone for the principle time all evening.
Throwing to Diggs used to be Buffalo’s most efficient approach.
The explosive playmaker carved up Pittsburgh’s secondary along with his crisp route working and ability to evade tacklers within the delivery field. He helped Allen resolve in after a unhurried launch up, and the quarterback discovered Gabriel Davis for a landing, linked with Knox for a key third-down conversion while working the clock and extra cemented his workforce’s field as a legitimate AFC contender.
What’s Next?
Both groups are on the motorway in Week 15 when the Steelers face the Cincinnati Bengals and the Bills play the Denver Broncos.
