No one thought it would be easy.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills knew what the stakes were on Sunday night. Both teams brought smothering defenses but in the end, the Steelers offense sputtered and ultimately failed as Pittsburgh fell to the Bills 17-10.
It was far and away the worst game of quarterback Devlin Hodge’s short NFL career. Hodges threw for only 202 yards and four interceptions and looked outmatched at almost every turn on Sunday night.
But despite his struggles, offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner felt no obligation to stop having Hodges throw it despite how close the score was. Running back James Conner returned to the field but you might not have known it based on how little he was used.
The defense did what it could. They held Bills quarterback Josh Allen to only 139 passing yards. But the Bills run game did it’s job, wearing down the Steelers front, slowing down the pass rush and chewing up yards.
Pittsburgh got two turnovers but failed to bring Allen down. One sack isn’t enough regardless of the opponent but when Pittsburgh gave Allen time he took advantage. The myth that a great defense can carry a team is just that. The luck ran out for the Steelers on Sunday night and now they must win out if they want to make the playoffs.
