The Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers will both kick off their 2021 campaigns on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET when they square off at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
The two teams were both crowned champions of their respective divisions last season. However, the Bills went onto lose in the AFC Championship Game, while the Steelers were dealt a 48-37 loss by the Cleveland Browns in the AFC Wild Card Round.
There is pressure for the Steelers to repeat as division champions, and go on a deeper playoff run than last season, but Tomlin said he doesn’t worry about outside expectations.
“I really don’t worry about expectations coming from the outside,” Tomlin said on Wednesday with the Buffalo media. “I’ll say this, I’d rather have high expectations than low expectations. That doesn’t start my motor, that doesn’t determine my day. What’s said outside is secondary. It's elevator music. You kind of hear it, but you don’t.”
Another player with high expectations is Roethlisberger, who has been a popular comparison for analysts when they talk about Allen. Tomlin said he’s seen similarities in Allen and Roethlisberger for years.
“No question. I remember when [Allen] came out of Wyoming, and I remember the comparisons then, and I saw that in him then,” Tomlin said. “So I’m not surprised by the comparisons, not surprised by his skillset and the things he’s capable of doing, [as well as] the style of game he plays.
You can listen to Tomlin’s entire press conference with the Buffalo media below: