After a slow start and a low-scoring first half, the Buffalo Bills came alive in the third quarter and paved the way to a 26-15 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2) at Bills Stadium in Orchard Park.
With the win, the Bills didn't only hand Pittsburgh its second-consecutive loss after an 11-0 start, it also bumps Buffalo's record to 10-3, the team's best win-loss tally through 13 games since 1991.
The Bills also defeated Pittsburgh on NBC's Sunday Night Football for the second time in as many seasons, having beaten the Steelers 17-10 at Heinz Field in 2019. With Sunday's victory over Pittsburgh and the Week 13 Monday night win over the San Francisco 49ers, the Bills have won two games on national prime time television in the span of a week.
Josh Allen didn't put on a world-beating performance like we saw in the victory over the 49ers, but after a tough first half, that included an early interception and no points from the offense, he bounced back and had a great final two quarters. The third-year signal caller led the Bills to a 23-point run that featured a pair of touchdown passes.
Along with the two passing scores and the interception, Allen completed 24 passes on 43 attempts for 238 yards. In the second half alone, Allen was 14-of-20 for 162 yards and two touchdowns.
The Pittsburgh front-four brought a lot of pressure to Allen and the Bills' offensive line early on that Buffalo's men in the trenches just couldn't handle. Allen was intercepted on the Bills' second drive after being hit on the arm as he was throwing, causing the ball to float into the hands of Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton.
The Bills finished with just 36 total yards and got only two first downs in the first quarter. A fumble by tight end Dawson Knox that gave Pittsburgh the ball back early in the second frame with the game still scoreless didn't make things much better.
Pittsburgh quickly capitalized on the turnover, scoring first touchdown of the contest in just three plays and 1:15 of game time. Ben Roethlisberger's 19-yard touchdown pass to James Washington put the Steelers up 7-0 with 8:21 to go in the second quarter.
The Bills finally got on the scoreboard with a 34-yard field goal from Tyler Bass late in the second quarter, but the team still needed a boost with the offense still trying to find its stride.
That much-needed boost came when Bills cornerback Taron Johnson picked off Roethlisberger and took it back 51 yards for a touchdown with less than a minute remaining in the half. Bass missed the extra point following the kick, just his second miss of the season, to make the score 9-7 in Buffalo's favor heading into halftime.
The start of the third quarter was when things really began to swing in the Bills' favor.
Buffalo started the second half with the ball and marched down the field, scoring in eight plays and covering 68 yards in under five minutes. Allen connected with wide receiver Stefon Diggs for a 19-yard passing touchdown to extend the lead to 16-7. Diggs caught four passes for 42 yards on the drive, and had an incredible second half overall, grabbing seven passes for 92 yards along with the touchdown.
Diggs led all receivers in the game with 10 catches for 130 yards. The receiver's 10th catch of the game was also his 100th of the season, tying Eric Moulds' single-season record for most receptions (2002).
Buffalo's defense forced a quick three-and-out from Pittsburgh on the ensuing possession, the Steelers' fourth of the night and seventh punt overall at the time.
Allen and the offense responded quick, finding rookie wide receiver Gabriel Davis in the end zone on the fourth play of the drive for a 13-yard score, making it 23-7 in the Bills' favor midway through the third quarter.
Allen's passing score to Davis was the quarterback's 35th overall touchdown of the season, breaking the franchise single-season record previously held by Jim Kelly, set in 1991.
Pittsburgh finally stopped the burning and made it a one-score game early in the fourth quarter. Roethlisberger found JuJu Smith-Schuster on a three-yard pass for a touchdown to end a 23-point Buffalo run.
A defensive pass interference call on Hilton moved the Bills up to the Steelers' one-yard line on the next series. However, Buffalo had to settle for just a field goal on the 11-play drive. A 23-yard chip-shot from Bass put Buffalo back up double-digits with 8:07 to play.
Less than a minute later, Levi Wallace came up with a big interception of Roethlisberger on a deep pass and quickly gave the ball back to Buffalo. The Bills used the possession to burn the last 7:11 off the clock and seal the team's third-straight win and sixth victory in seven games at Bills Stadium this season.
With the Miami Dolphins losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, 33-27 and falling to 8-5, the Bills also now hold a two-game lead for first place in the AFC East and can clinch the division title with a win next week.
GAME SUMMARY
First Quarter:
- No Scoring
Second Quarter:
- 7-0 PITTSBURGH – Steelers touchdown (8:21) – Ben Roethlisberger passes to James Washington for a 19-yard touchdown (Chris Boswell’s extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 3 plays, 30 yards, 1:15
- 7-3 PITTSBURGH – Bills field goal (1:42) – Tyler Bass’ 34-yard field goal attempt is good
Drive info: 9 plays, 58 yards, 3:14
- 9-7 BUFFALO – Bills touchdown (0:52) – Taron Johnson intercepts Ben Roethlisberger for 51-yard return touchdown (Tyler Bass’ extra point attempt is no good)
Drive info: 4 plays, 22 yards, 0:50
Third Quarter:
- 16-7 BUFFALO – Bills touchdown (10:23) – Josh Allen passes to Stefon Diggs for a 19-yard touchdown (Tyler Bass’ extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 8 plays, 68 yards, 4:37
- 23-7 BUFFALO – Bills touchdown (7:02) – Josh Allen passes to Gabriel Davis for a 13-yard touchdown (Tyler Bass’ extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 4 plays, 57 yards, 2:05
Fourth Quarter:
- 23-15 BUFFALO – Steelers touchdown (12:18) – Ben Roethlisberger passes to JuJu Smith-Schuster for a three-yard touchdown (Roethlisberger passes to Eric Ebron for successful two-point conversion)
Drive info: 10 plays, 81 yards, 4:38
- 26-15 BUFFALO – Bills field goal (8:07) – Tyler Bass’ 23-yard field goal attempt is good
Drive info: 11 plays, 61 yards, 4:11
SKYWORKS EQUIPMENT RENTAL STATS OF THE GAME:
The Bills will travel to Denver for a Week 15 matchup with the Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 19. Be sure to tune in to WGR to hear John Murphy, Steve Tasker and Sal Capaccio on the call.