It’s time once again to go behind enemy lines and get the inside scoop on this week’s Pittsburgh Steelers opponent. We talk to our friends at Bills Wire and they offered some insight into how the Bills have been able to go 9-4 to this point and how he thinks they match up with the Steelers.
1-What do you attribute the improvement of Josh Allen to?
Of course we’re not behind closed doors, but it seems like Allen really put the work in this offseason. Where he really needed to improve is his accuracy. He was a 52 percent passer last season and he’s been around and most above 60 percent most of this year. His deep ball is still a struggle, though. The Bills could have pulled off an upset of the Ravens if Allen connected on a few early deep balls last week. He had guys, missed them, and he knows it. But all the other passes Allen’s hit consistently this year. This dual-threat ability with his legs is also impressive. He doesn’t get the Lamar attention because it’s not as sexy, but you can count on 3-4 drives being extended on Sunday because of Allen’s legs.
2-How much have the Bills exceeded expectations this season?
Well, we’re not experts and unfortunately, one of our writers at Bills Wire (me) predicted six wins for this team. I thought the Jets would be better and a few other teams on Buffalo’s schedule. Year-to-year we really can’t predict those sorts of things, or it’s hard to, at least. Having said that, massively exceeded. Many of the most optimistic Bills fans saw them as a potential team such as the Titans currently. That first team on the outside looking in. But this game is huge for the Bills because they really haven’t beaten a good team yet. Do good teams get the job done against bad ones? For sure. But the Titans are the only team with a winning record Buffalo has beaten and… I can’t believe I’m going to write this in 2019… and at the time, Ryan Tannehill wasn’t their starter, so a big asterisk there.
3-Which defensive unit on Buffalo do you consider the best and why?
Tough question, the Bills use mostly two linebacker sets, so it’s Tremaine Edmunds and one of the most underrated players in the NFL next to him in Matt Milano. But the secondary, without a doubt. Three of their four guys there are certainly overlooked Pro Bowlers in CB Tre’Davious White and safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. White is pushing All-Pro status. He’s had maybe two bad games in three seasons. At No. 2 CB, it’s been a rotation with former first-rounder Kevin Johnson and Levi Wallace. I would expect Duck Hodges to look that way, but those two aren’t slouches, either. It’s just a really deep unit for the Bills.
4-Will Frank Gore ever stop playing?
Frank Gore is a great story and everyone in Buffalo loves him as much as everyone else does. Currently he’s more in the No. 2 role behind rookie Devin Singletary. The Bills started the season giving Gore No. 1 reps, but he’s taken a backseat. One thing I really want Buffalo’s offense to do is mix things up for Gore, it’s getting unfair. All they do is run it up the middle with him and everyone knows it’s coming. Give him something to the outside or feature him in other ways, guys. But even if his production isn’t fantastic in recent weeks, I can realistically see the Bills bringing him back again. His leadership is awesome to watch. Post Bills-Redskins, cameras caught him grabbing Adrian Peterson and introducing him to the rookie in Singletary after the game. How don’t you love that?
5-Give us your prediction for this week’s game.
This one’s tough thinking back to the Bills schedule comments above. A late-week move says JuJu Smith-Schuster won’t be playing, but it appears James Conner will. Buffalo has a great defensive unit, but I didn’t tab their defensive line as the best grouping because against the run, they can be susceptible, as can Josh Allen with turnovers. I don’t expect an interception from Allen, but I’ll call my shot now: TJ Watt forced fumble in this one, which helps the Steelers take a close 24-21 win against the Bills.
