The Buffalo Bills are gearing up to host the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium, as both teams will kick off their 2021 regular season campaigns at 1 p.m. ET in Orchard Park.
It will be the third-consecutive season that both teams have faced each other in the regular season with the Bills coming out of the previous matchups with victories. The first win came on the road in 2019 when the Bills clinched a playoff spot in Pittsburgh with a 17-10 victory at Heinz Field.
Just last season, the Bills earned a "Sunday Night Football" win over the visiting Steelers at - then known as - Bills Stadium, thanks, in part, to a stellar performance from the defense that included a Taron Johnson pick-six of Ben Roethlisberger just before halftime. Buffalo went on to beat Pittsburgh, 26-15, en route to a 13-3 finish to the 2020 regular season.
We could be in for a similar type of low-scoring game we've seen over the past two seasons on Sunday, as the Steelers defense will return with a number of their key players back in the fold for the 2021 campaign.
Meanwhile, the Bills will be tasked with trying to stop a bit of a new-look Steelers offense that is now led by Matt Canada, who steps in as the new offensive coordinator in place of Randy Fichtner.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott knows that it will be a tough challenge for his defense to adjust to a new offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh with limited tape to study ahead of the season opener.
"It will test us, especially earlier in the game and throughout the game as a staff and as our defensive players are concerned as well," McDermott said in his first weekly appearance on the "Extra Point Show" with Sal Capaccio and "Sneaky Joe" DiBiase on Friday. "We can only go on what we've seen, and certainly he's got some unknowns and, I'm sure, some things up his sleeve that are going to test us. We're going to have our work cut out for us."
Last season, the Pittsburgh offense ranked as one of the lowest-efficient units in the entire NFL, especially in the running game, where they averaged a league-low 84.4 yards per-game on the ground. However, the Steelers looked to address that issue through the NFL Draft with the selection of former University of Alabama running back Najee Harris with the 24th overall pick.
Through the air, Roethlisberger finished the 2020 season with more than 3,800 yards passing, but he ranked as one of the worst yards per-pass attempt quarterbacks, averaging just 6.3 yards per-pass.
It will certainly be something to watch going into Sunday's game to see how the Steelers offense will operate with someone new calling the plays for Roethlisberger and the entire unit.
Meanwhile, the defense will, once again, be led by the presence of All-Pro pass rusher T.J. Watt, who just signed a five-year contract extension with the Steelers on Friday.
McDermott is well-aware of the challenge that his offense will face trying to contain the 26-year-old outside linebacker, who led the league with 15 sacks in the 2020 season.
"They don't pay a guy that amount of money that can't wreck a gameplan. He's the highest-paid defensive player in the league for a reason," McDermott said of Watt. "He's a heck of a football player, and I'm sure similar to a lot of the teams that are re-signing their key guys that he's doing things right off the field, and they're rewarding him with that. Congratulations to him.
"We'll have our work cut out for us offensively in trying to block him, [Cameron] Heyward and the whole gang up there. It'll be a tough contest for us."
Another big focus heading into Sunday's season opener will be the return of a packed Highmark Stadium for the first time since the 2019 season. Buffalo was able to host a limited number of fans for their two playoff games in Orchard Park in 2020, but COVID-19 put a damper on the entire league being able to host full stadiums throughout the course of the year.
McDermott believes the greater challenge heading into this game will be on the home team to contain their emotions with fans being allowed back to the stadium at full capacity.
"I think it's harder for the home team, in this case, where you have all the fans; it's great to have the fan support and we need it. With that said, we have to be doubly strong with our mental approach and staying in our process, and sticking with what we do and how we do it. [It's] following through on what we've talked about since Day 1 of training camp," McDermott said. "That takes all the mental approach that can be had in the coming days here today and tomorrow, and the pregame on Sunday to get yourself exactly where you need to be."
On the injury side of things, McDermott confirmed on Friday that defensive tackle Star Lotulelei will not play on Sunday as he's dealing with a calf injury. Lotulelei will also not practice on Friday after aggravating the injury in the preseason finale nearly two weeks ago against the Green Bay Packers.
Lotulelei has not dressed for the Bills since the 2019 AFC Wild Card Round matchup with the Houston Texans after opting out of the 2020 NFL season due to COVID-19 concerns.
McDermott also said on Friday that wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders would practice on a limited basis for the Bills and be officially listed as "questionable" against the Steelers, as he battles through a foot injury.
In addition to injuries, McDermott was asked about some key position battles the Bills face on both sides of the football. While he would not give any hints as to who will start at right guard for the Bills this Sunday, he did say that Levi Wallace has won the cornerback battle opposite of Tre'Davious White and will start over second-year corner Dane Jackson this week.
You can listen to McDermott's entire interview during the "Extra Point Show" below: