Pittsburgh, Pa. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - After falling short against the Chicago Bears in the opening game of the preseason last Saturday, the Buffalo Bills rebounded one week later with a 9-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
Defense was the name of the game on Saturday for the Bills, and the unit made quick work of the Steelers offense on the opening drive, stopping them on a quick three-and-out. Defensive end Greg Rousseau sacked quarterback Russel Wilson for an 11-yard loss on third down, forcing Pittsburgh to punt.
The Bills offense took the field for its opening drive with most of their starters playing, but being quarterbacked by Mitch Trubisky. Josh Allen was given the night off after inclement weather swept through the region during pregame warmups.
It was a quick three-and-out for the Bills, as the Steelers defense showed its own force with a sack of Trubisky on third down as well.
After another three-and-out for Pittsburgh, the Bills were finally able to briefly move the chains before Trubisky was sacked again, backing Buffalo up 11 yards. Sam Martin was then called in again for one of his five punts on the night.
The Bills defense, once again, snuffed out the Steelers offense with Rousseau tallying his second sack of the game for a loss of seven yards.
Later in the second quarter, the Buffalo offense made the game's first big mistake when Trubisky threw a high pass intended for tight end Quintin Morris that was intercepted by Steelers safety Miles Killebrew at the Pittsburgh 42-yard line.
After advancing into Buffalo territory off the interception, the Steelers failed to come away with points on the scoreboard, as a 52-yard field goal attempt for kicker Chris Boswell hit the left upright and bounced no good.
Looking to rebound from the last drive and take advantage of the missed Pittsburgh field goal, Trubisky and the Bills drove down the field and into the Steelers' red zone, but stalled out at the 8-yard line. Tyler Bass was then able to drill a 27-yard field goal to put the first points of the game on the board with 2:10 left in the first half.
Wilson's night for the Steelers was over with just over two minutes left in the half, as quarterback Justin Fields then came into the game. However, his first drive resulted in another three-and-out for the Steelers offense.
After the punt, quarterback Ben DiNucci took the field for the first time in a Bills uniform, where the offense sputtered for another three-and-out.
During the drive, though, on a third down pass, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling was injured after taking a hit from Steelers defensive back Thomas Graham Jr. He was able to walk off the field, but was carted to the locker room with a neck injury.
In the closing minute of the second quarter, the Steelers were able to get into scoring position thanks to Fields' legs, as he rushed for 20 yards. That set up another field goal attempt from Boswell in the final 10 seconds of the half, this time from 43 yards out to tie the game at 3-3 heading into halftime.
The Bills' run game was on display to start the second half with running back Ray Davis cutting up the Steelers defense. The drive ended in a field goal attempt for Bass, as he successfully converted a 26-yard field goal to give the Bills a 6-3 lead.
That ended up being enough for the Bills, as the defense went on to fully shut down Fields and the Steelers offense the rest of the way.
The Pittsburgh offense did have some steam under Fields both rushing and passing the ball on their opening drive of the half. However, it ended when rookie linebacker Joe Andreessen helped stop Fields on a 4th-and-2 at the Bills' 9-yard line.
The Bills offense continued to utilize the run game with success, getting the ball down the field with the help of Ray Davis, Darrynton Evans and Frank Gore Jr. Bass eventually closed out the second drive, a 14-play drive extending into the fourth quarter, with a 31-yard field goal to extend the Bills' lead to 9-3.
Once again, the Steelers and Fields put together a drive that reached Buffalo territory, but ended with a turnover on downs. After going 11 plays for 51 yards, the Steelers failed to convert a 4th-and-4 at the Bills' 20-yard line when Fields' pass intended for tight end Connor Heyward fell incomplete.
After another punt from the Bills with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, the Steelers had one more chance to get down the field and pull off the victory in preseason action. However, Pittsburgh came away empty in four plays, as Fields missed running back La'Mical Perine on a 4th-and-1 at their own 27-yard line to seal a win for the Bills.
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GAME RECAP
First Quarter:
- No scoring plays.
Second Quarter:
- 3-0 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (8:08) - Tyler Bass' 27-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive summary: 9 plays, 50 yards, 4:29
-3-3: Steelers field goal (0:03) - Chris Boswell's 43-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive summary: 7 plays, 46 yards, 1:04
Third Quarter:
-6-3 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (10:23) - Tyler Bass' 26-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive summary: 10 plays, 63 yards, 4:37
Fourth Quarter:
- 9-3 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (9:07) - Tyler Bass' 31-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive summary: 14 plays, 71 yards, 7:23
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SKYWORKS EQUIPMENT RENTAL STATS OF THE GAME:
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What's next:
The Bills return to Highmark Stadium next Saturday to take on the Carolina Panthers in the final game of their preseason schedule. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET and can be heard on the official voice of the Bills - WGR Sports Radio 550.