For about a quarter-and-a-half of Sunday night’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, it was hard to believe that the contest being played was between two division leaders and contenders to reach the Super Bowl from the AFC.
Regardless of the slow start, the Bills put on an absolute show in the second half, impressing a national audience on a prime-time stage for the second time in the span of a week.
Josh Allen didn’t have the four-touchdown, 375-yard passing performance like he did in Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers, but, a game like this is another learning experience for Allen, and he overcame a tough start to defeat a playoff-bound team that is known for its defense.
Stefon Diggs, Allen’s top passing target, also should be credited with leading the offensive charge that put the game in Buffalo’s control in the third quarter. With another strong showing from the defense, a group that keeps improving week-after-week following a disappointing start to the year, the Bills played wonderful complimentary football, something head coach Sean McDermott loves, and were able to best the Steelers in convincing fashion, only furthering their case as a true Super Bowl contender.
Here are three quick observations from the victory over the Steelers on Sunday night:
1.) Diggs proved, again, he’s a game-changing player
Diggs led all receivers with 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown on Sunday night. If you take a closer look at when the Bills’ offense really turned things around, it’s when Allen started going to Diggs consistently.
The top target for Allen caught four passes, one of them a 19-yard touchdown reception, for 42 yards on Buffalo's scoring drive at the beginning of the third quarter. In the second half, Diggs reeled-in seven balls (six in the third quarter) for 92 yards, accounting for more than half of Allen’s 162 passing yards in the final two quarters.
When Diggs started making catches and moving the chains, the rest of the offense followed. Allen re-gained confidence seeing his top receiver go to work, going 14-for-20 in the second half after completing only 10-of-23 passes for 76 yards in the first.
Diggs has become, arguably, the best addition to a Bills offense in the last decade at least, if not longer (MAYBE LeSean McCoy). In his first season with the Bills, Diggs has gone over the 100-yard receiving mark in five games already. His 10th catch on Sunday night was also Diggs’ 100th reception in 2020, tying him with Eric Moulds for the most receptions in a single-season in Bills history.
All of the Bills' receivers have stepped up over the last few games with John Brown on Injured Reserve. Sunday night was a reason why general manager Brandon Beane went out and got Diggs, because when plays need to be made and a groove needs to be found, he can be the spark to get that going. Diggs’ six catches in the third quarter highlighted Allen’s 11-consecutive completions to start the second half, and that opening drive after halftime really set the tone the rest of the way.
2.) The Bills defense keeps trending back towards its old self
After a rough first six weeks or so, the Bills defense has really turned things around, especially in the three games since coming out of the bye week. While the Pittsburgh offense did come into the matchup dealing with some issues like wide receivers dropping passes or the run game not performing up to par, the Bills defense kept the damage to a minimum long enough before the offense came alive in the second half.
Also, for a secondary that received a lot of criticism early in the season for not forcing enough turnovers, this group is coming up with interceptions every game now. Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde and Tre’Davious White have each recorded interceptions over the last few games, but on Sunday it was the lesser-known names, like Taron Johnson and Levi Wallace.
Johnson’s 51-yard interception return touchdown in the final minute of the second quarter was relatively the first sign of life the Bills showed all night, and was the first touchdown from the Buffalo defense since 2017. It gave the Bills a much-needed lead going into halftime, and could’ve very well helped build morale in the locker room before the offense’s emergence in the third quarter.
Wallace’s pick came in a big spot as well. While the Bills had just gone back up by double-digits thanks to a Tyler Bass field goal, there was still over eight minutes of game time left. Wallace has had quite the up-and-down season, sometimes being on the sidelines down the stretch in games and sometimes being on the field. The cornerback took advantage of the opportunity of being out there and made a great play to intercept a Roethlisberger deep ball, quickly giving possession back to the Bills.
Pittsburgh never got the ball back after Wallace’s pick. Buffalo was able to run-off the last 7:11 of game time and seal the win.
A fun stat connected to the Buffalo secondary: Roethlisberger threw for less yards against the Bills on Sunday night (187) than Devlin “Duck” Hodges did (202) in the 17-10 loss to Buffalo in Pittsburgh last season.
Don’t let the defensive backs hog all the credit, though, because the front-seven played great as well, and have stepped up as a group in recent weeks to improve in stopping the run game. Pittsburgh’s trio of running backs combined for a total of just 47 yards on the ground Sunday night. That comes after the Bills held San Francisco to just 86 yards in Week 13.
The Bills’ pass rush also did something that many teams couldn’t accomplish against the Steelers this season - sack Ben Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh’s verteran quarterback was brought down midway through the third quarter by linebacker Matt Milano and sacked for the first time in 275 passing attempts.
3.) How can you not love and believe in this team after this win?
This is what true, playoff-caliber, division title winning, playoff game-hosting, Super Bowl contending teams look like, right? They find different ways to win different kinds of games.
Buffalo has an offense that can explode for quick points, a defense that can get stops, make plays and create turnovers and solid special teams in all areas. Allen looks like a superstar quarterback in the making, Diggs is having a First-Team All-Pro-type season, and the Bills are beating competitive teams consistently.
Yes, this Steelers team may be one of, if not, the most underwhelming teams to start 11-0 in NFL history, but they still have one of the league’s best coaches and defenses. This was a game the Bills, once again, needed to show they were ready to win. National stage, prime-time, against one of the premier teams in the league for the last 20-plus years, and Buffalo came to play.
These are the types of wins you love to see from a team that’s on the rise. You see the growth, the chemistry continuing to build. The more this team plays together, the more they want to win together.
Winning back-to-back prime-time games in the span of a week, in the COVID-19 season nevertheless, isn’t something that should just be glossed over. This Bills team is the realest the franchise has had in a long time, and the momentum from this win could have a huge impact on the final stretch of the regular season here as the Bills look to lock-up the AFC East and roll into the playoffs.