PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Minutes after a 26-7 loss to the Bills, the Steelers reacted to what had just happened. Leading 7-3 at the half, Buffalo dominated the second half and ran all over the Steelers defense.
Bills scored all the points in the second half and James Cook ran for 144 yards. Not only did Cook run for that, the team ran for 249 yards. It’s the most rushing yards ever against the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium/Heinz Field.
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Here’s the killer for the Steelers defense, Buffalo kept running the same play.
“We need to find ways to make plays,” said Steelers captain TJ Watt. “I’ve never seen a team run the same play as much as they ran it tonight and have as much success as they had. I’m out of words for it.”
“We all have to be accountable for our gaps,” said captain Cam Heyward. “It’s 11-on-11 and you have to have guys in the right gaps, but also tackle well. It’s not just what is called, it’s execution. Everybody has a job out there. When one or two guys don’t do their job, or three. When we are not accountable as a group.”
“We can’t rely on superhero ball.”
Along with Cook’s big game, Ray Davis averaged 6.9 yards a carry, Josh Allen rushed for a dagger eight-yard score on third-and-goal early in the fourth quarter to finish at 15-play, 83-yard drive that took 8:14 off the clock. He only threw for 123 yards, but hit on 65% of his passes and even an early interception didn’t cost them points. The Bills hit on 53% of its third downs and 100% (two-for-two) on fourth down.
“We weren’t making plays that need to be made,” said linebacker Alex Highsmith. “We just need to make those plays and we didn’t. Obviously, it is frustrating. We felt like we had a good game plan coming into the game. Every man has to look in the mirror and bring what they have to the collective.”
“We know we got to be way better and we will be better.”
And it’s the reaction from second-year linebacker Payton Wilson that really rings true about the up-and-down nature of this season.
“I feel like we have this conversation every other week,” Wilson said. “It’s frustrating, you have to keep your head down and keep working.”
It’s the same old refrain. Watt said they’ve tried different things and have the talent to be a kick ass defensive group, but surely aren’t right now. Heyward said they’ve just got to be angry.
“Practice pissed off,” Heyward said. “Watch film pissed off. Do everything pissed off. I’m not going to go gently tonight, we all got to get our (crap) together.”