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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Mike Drakulich

The Steeler Nation game day guide: Steelers vs Bills preview

Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Steeler Nation doesn’t just reside in the surrounding areas of Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. It is a world-wide army that lives and dies with the team that calls Pittsburgh it’s home. This is the preview that all fans of the black and gold come to find everything they need to know about the Steelers and their upcoming opponent! Mike Drakulich (@PghSportsNation) of Steelers Wire brings you inside the huddle for both teams, providing a weekly game story, the Steelers keys to winning, score prediction, fantasy football advice, game day information, a detailed breakdown of each team, including individual stats, team stats, and team injury reports. Heck, you’ll even know the weather at kickoff. The only thing you’re missing is a game uniform.

5th seed on the line vs Bills in a Sunday Night extravaganza at Heinz Field

After all the blood, sweat, and tears spent battling back from an 0-3 start to the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally have a payoff within grasp in their battles against unbelievable adversity.

When the Steelers (8-5) take the field Sunday night vs the Buffalo Bills (9-5), not only is a playoff spot on the line but so is the #5 seed in the AFC Playoffs, as a win vs the Bills would vault Pittsburgh over Buffalo and give them a tie-breaker advantage to boot.

It will be a raucous crowd at Heinz Field as Steeler Nation will be pumped to roar their team to victory under the lights of Sunday Night Football on NBC.

The never-ending revolving door of injuries for the Steelers may see a return of a few starters, and the absence of a few others.

James Conner practiced fully the past two days, but Juju Smith Schuster was limited on Thursday after going full go a day before.

Both would be welcomed back with open arms, as both have unique abilities that would aid an offense that needs every weapon that they can muster.

Jaylen Samuels and Vance McDonald are hopeful to play as of Thursday night, but only time will tell. Samuels is battling a groin injury and practiced fully Thursday, but McDonald is still in the NFL’s concussion protocol and had a limited practice.

The Steelers defense will be leading the way again on Sunday, and have every intention of making Bill’s QB Josh Allen’s life as miserable as possible.

The Steelers have recorded 48 sacks and 43 takeaways in 2019.

Allen, as gifted as he is running the ball out of the pocket, has trouble holding on to the ball, something Pittsburgh’s defense has taken notice of.

“Oh yeah, that’s good,” Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree said about Allen’s fumble issues. “That’s good, definitely that’s good.”

Pittsburgh has caused opponents to fumble 27 times, recovering 15 of them, 2nd best in the NFL.

Allen has 22 fumbles in 25 career games.

“That’s great, man,” Dupree continued. “That will be an opportunity for us to even add to our repertoire.”

Defensive Player of the Year candidate T.J. Watt studies film weekly to get an advantage on his prey of the week. He also learns from practice when pursuing Duck Hodges, Mason Rudolph, and Paxton Lynch.

“Paxton comes from a little bit lower and Duck is a little bit higher,” Watt said. “You kind of look at that stuff when you look at film. But I don’t think you can get caught too much in the small, specific, minute details too much, otherwise, you will drive yourself crazy.

“But you do want to see how quick his release is because if he’s getting it out really quick, you don’t want to necessarily always go for the ball. That’s kind of gotten me in trouble a few times this year because the amount of time during a windup a QB goes from his hip to his release point is so quick if you reach for that outside arm during his throw… the ball can be released, and you just grabbed him when you could have had him.

“So I think it’s kind of a cat-and-mouse game there.”

The Steelers secondary, if Allen dares to throw deep, will be eagerly waiting and planning on adding to their 18 interceptions on the season.

Corner Stephon Nelson, who has had a tremendous year, is still looking for his first of the year.

“The turnovers will come,” Nelson said. “They haven’t come yet like I’ve wanted them to come. Hopefully, they’ll come soon down the stretch.”

Fellow CB Joe Haden would know. He waited until week nine to get his first, but has built that total to four on the season.

“Just continue to play your technique,” Haden said. “Don’t try to go out of position because that’s when you start getting beat on things you’re not getting beat on now. On the inside, everyone knows how good Steve is doing.

“He (Nelson) might not be seeing it in the numbers, but you can see it in the way that he’s not getting beat. I tell Steve just continue doing what you’re doing, and they’ll come in bunches. Once you get that first one, the ball is going to keep coming at you.”

Both players, and the entire defense has benefited from the presence of FS Minkah Fitzpatrick, who defenses have to be aware of at all times on the field with his play-making abilities. Nelson has now become a shutdown corner on a team that so desperately it missed for so many seasons.

“When I hear that term, that’s what I strive for,” Nelson said. “In the offseason, it’s what I worked toward, to gain that title. You don’t get that from being up or down, you get it from staying consistent.”

On Sunday night, the team hopes it will be business as usual for the defense.

If so, Pittsburgh’s winning ways will continue to be in their favor.

Steelers key’s to winning

Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Bottle up Josh Allen and Bills running game: The Bills live and die by their running game. Both Allen and Devin Singletary can burn you if you arm tackle. Gang tacking and bringing down the runner on contact is a must Sunday night.
Keep Josh Allen pressured: Allen is good at short passes, but is downright terrible when throwing beyond 15 yards against tough defenses. Pressure from T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, and Cam Heyward may force a few interceptions if he goes deep.
Be creative offensively: Injuries have served a few good purposes, and that is experience for young players. Use your weapons to their abilities. Example… Kerrith Whyte has tremendous speed. Perhaps a screen or a check down to him in space to give him a chance to make a defender miss. Utilize play action and counters to keep an aggressive Bills defense on their heels.
If Juju Smith-Schuster plays… Line him up in the slot. Have James Washington and Dionate Johnson on the outside with their speed, and let Juju manipulate the middle where he is at his best.
Play smart, but not scared: I understand the coaches don’t want to ask Duck Hodges to take over the game, but let Hodges manage the game and take some shots downfield to keep the Bills defense honest. He has enough play-makers that can go get the ball now.

Prediction

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It will be cold on Sunday night at Heinz Field.

Don’t expect it to affect Devlin Hodges.

“Ducks like it when it’s a little bit colder anyway,” said Pittsburgh’s quarterback, who has embraced the nickname “Duck” by coaches, teammates, and fans alike.

If the Steelers are to win their 9th game out of 10, Hodges will be a big factor manning the keys to the Steelers offense.

“Once I get out there and get going and get active, I am not really cold,” Hodges said. “I am out there sweating and with the body heat and everything, so it’s going to be fine.

“I mean, as a quarterback I’ve still got to throw it, and the other quarterback has still got to throw it the same weather that I do. So, just go to go out and do it.”

The Bills defense can be cold against opposing offenses, allowing just a meager 296.8 total yards per game and just 16.3 points per contest.

Hodges will have to continue protecting the ball, but at the same time finding a way to generate more points from a team that has only scored more than one offensive touchdown a game in just one of it’s past six games.

The running game may get a boost if James Conner returns and can stay healthy the whole game. Conner has the ability to run, block, and catch passes out of the backfield. Normally, Benny Snell is used to run, Jaylen Samuels is best at catching passes out of the backfield, and Kerrith Whyte utilizes his blazing speed in just the ground game so far.

Mike Tomlin has used the running back by committee approach and riding the hot hand while Conner has been out.

“That’s a big if,” Tomlin said of Conner’s return. “And that’s something we’re going to sort out as we push through the week.”

Regardless of who is in…

“We’re going to work the guys that have been working that we know are healthy,” Tomlin said. “As (Conner) proves his health to us, we’ll consider the way we’ll utilize him. Obviously, if he’s got a clean bill of health and he’s prepared, we know what James is capable of.

“We’ll ponder those things as they are presented to us.”

If Conner can’t suit up or is limited, Snell has made the most of his opportunities according to Tomlin.

“We’ve seen a lot of him over the last month or so,” Tomlin said of Snell. “He’s showing a run demeanor that is attractive and an ability to show featured-runner-like characteristics and mentality.”

Whyte has averaged 6.7 yards on 14 rushing attempts.

“We’re getting to know him, but it’s also important to acknowledge that he’s getting to know himself,” Tomlin said. “It’s not like he had prior NFL experience prior to him getting here. He’s getting to know himself, as well. Hopefully, he’s getting better rapidly. I think it’s a reasonable expectation for a guy in the infancy of his career to expect substantial gains as he steps in stadiums, week in and week out.”

It’s going to be a battle on Sunday night.

Both teams have their doubters, despite the records presented. You hear a lot of, ” But who have they really beaten?” catcalls from the experts.

You could say the same about many teams, including the New England Patriots, who other than their season opener against these same Steelers, have fed off an awful schedule, and have lost to other every team that is in playoff contention in the AFC.

You play who is on your schedule, and go from there. Both Pittsburgh and Buffalo deserve to be where they are. Now they meet with huge implications, as a Bills win will put them into the playoffs, and a loss could bring the bubble guts in their last two games, as Pittsburgh will have the tie-breaker advantage, and Tennessee is right in the mix behind them. The Bills have the Patriots and Jets to close with.

The Bills rely on their rushing attack. John Brown has stepped up big time as a receiver this year, and Cole Beasley has gathered six TD passes, but this team is best effective when they can run. Josh Allen has eight rushing touchdowns this year and has more designed run plays that Lamar Jackson does. He is big, strong, and tough to tackle. Devin Singletary is the lead back and is having a nice rookie season. Frank Gore keeps defying time as the back-up.

This will be a game won by the team that makes the fewest mistakes.

Turnovers will be key.

The Steelers may be aided by the return of a few starters, but these are guys who haven’t seen true game-speed time in weeks.

People keep doubting this Steelers team, but this will be the week where they can finally laugh at their detractors. This being a home game, at Heinz Field, under the lights in prime time, along with a dash of color rush uniforms, you can expect a hard-fought game that will keep you on the edge of your seat all night, but in the end, it will be the Steelers who stand tall and all but secure a playoff berth in the 2019 season.

Steelers 17 Bills 13

Game day information

Venue: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA.

Field: Natural Grass

Game-time: Sunday, December 15th, at 8:20 pm ET

TV: NBC (Local on WPXI-TV)

Announcers: Al Michaels (play-by-play) Cris Collinsworth (analyst) Michele Tafoya (reporter)

Local radio: Pittsburgh- 102.5 WDVE & WBGG 970 AM

Announcers: Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play) Tunch Ilkin (analyst) Craig Wolfley (sideline) Missi Matthews (sideline)

Internet broadcast: Steelers Nation Radio (SNR) on Steelers.com

Weather at kickoff: Mostly cloudy. 34 degrees. Winds WSW 5-10 MPH.

NFL Standings / NFL Scoreboard

Game notes

Pittsburgh will be wearing their “Color Rush” uniforms.
Since Sunday Night Football debuted in 1978, the Steelers have played in 52 contests and hold a 29-23 (.558) mark under the lights on Sunday.
227 NFL teams have started a season 1-4 since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger and Pittsburgh is the 12th NFL team to rebound with at least 8 victories over its next 9 games.
Mike Tomlin and Bills HC Sean McDermott were teammates at William & Mary in 1993-94.

(*Courtesy of Steelers.com)

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Buffalo Bills history

Series history: Began in 1970

Steelers are 16-9 overall vs Bills

At home: 210-2
On the road: 6-7
Postseason: 2-1
Streak: Steelers won the last five games.
Last regular-season meeting: Dec. 11, 2016, in Buffalo (Steelers 27, Bills 20)
Last postseason meeting: Jan. 6th, 1996, in Pittsburgh
(Pittsburgh 40, Bills 21) – AFC Divisional Playoffs

Fantasy football advice

Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Steelers

Starters: Steelers Defense
Start at your own risk: WR Juju Smith-Schuster, RB James Conner (if they play)
Sleepers: WR James Washington, WR Dionate Johnson
Sit: RB Benny Snell

Buffalo Bills

Starters: Bills Defense
Start at your own risk: QB Josh Allen, WR John Brown
Sleepers: None
Sit: RB Devon Singletary

Scouting the Pittsburgh Steelers

Overall record: 8-5

Head coach: Mike Tomlin (13th Season with Steelers)

Overall regular-season record: 133-71-1 (.647)
Playoff record: 8-7 (Qualified for playoffs 8 times)

2019 Pittsburgh Steelers Team Roster

Steelers Team Statistics

Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 Schedule

Last game: Steelers 23 Cardinals 17

Offense

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks

Devlin Hodges*

The former Samford quarterback has shown no fear when pressed into the starting role. He’s only 3-0, already defeating a future HOF, and the last two Heisman and Overall #1 picks in the NFL Draft.

Passing yards: 682

TD Passes: 4 / Interceptions: 2
Sacks: 6

Yards rushing: 65

Rushing TD’s: 0

Mason Rudolph

Yes, this is Rudolph’s first season being a starter with Big Ben out, but he has failed to grab the job by the reigns. Lack of confidence and bad pocket presence has hampered his game significantly.

Passing yards: 1,636

TD Passes: 12 / Interceptions: 9
Sacks: 14

Yards rushing: 43

Rushing TD’s: 0

Running backs

Benny Snell, Jr.*

Takes over starting duties with Conner injured. Looking more confident each week. Gets better as the game goes on.

Yards rushing: 320

Rushing TD’s: 1

Receptions: 3

Yards receiving: 23 / Receiving TD’s: 0

James Conner (Injured)

Down year after a Pro Bowl season. On the sidelines with injuries way too much. Was playing better before he suffered a shoulder injury.

Yards rushing: 390

Rushing TD’s: 4

Receptions: 30

Yards receiving: 242 / Receiving TD’s: 2

Jaylen Samuels

An athletic player who can play several positions. Dangerous as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.

Yards rushing: 169

Rushing TD’s: 1

Receptions: 41

Yards receiving: 252 / Receiving TD’s: 1

Trey Edmunds

Good dual purpose back.

Yards rushing: 92

Rushing TD’s: 0

Receptions: 6

Yards receiving: 48 / Receiving TD’s: 0

Kerrith Whyte

Superb speed that takes defenses by surprise.

Yards rushing: 94

Rushing TD’s: 0

Receptions: 1

Yards receiving: 9 / Receiving TD’s: 0

Wide Receivers

Juju Smith-Schuster (Injured)

Smith-Schuster has struggled this season without Roethlisberger at the helm. Hopeful to see flashes of his old self when he returns from a knee injury.

Receptions: 38

Receiving yards: 524 / Receiving TD’s: 3

Diontae Johnson*

Talented rookie who makes the most of every reception. Blessed with wicked moves in open space. Needs to be more consistent.

Receptions: 42

Receiving yards: 483 / Receiving TD’s: 4

James Washington*

He was ready to have a breakout season and establish himself as a big-time playmaker in the NFL. Has been the team’s best receiver with Juju out.

Receptions: 34

Receiving yards: 611 / Receiving TD’s: 3

Tevin Jones

Receptions: 4

Receiving yards: 61 / Receiving TD’s: 0

Deon Cain

Former Clemson Tiger has speed and talent. May be a steal from the Colts.

Receptions: 3

Receiving yards: 62 / Receiving TD’s: 0

Johnny Holton

Steelers deep threat, but has only one has catch.

Receptions: 1

Receiving yards: 22 / Receiving TD’s: 0

Tight Ends

Vance McDonald*

The Vanimal, when unleashed, is a sight to see. Unfortunately, he has not played up to expectations this season. Injuries have slowed him all year.

Receptions: 33

Receiving yards: 245
Receiving TD’s: 2

Nate Vannett

The Ohio State product was acquired from the Seahawks earlier this season. Best used as a blocker.

Receptions: 7

Receiving yards: 70
Receiving TD’s: 0

*Denotes Starter

Offensive line

Left Tackle: Alejandro Villanueva

Left Guard: B.J. Finney/Ramon Foster

Center: Maurkice Pouncey

Right Guard: David DeCastro

Right Tackle: Matt Feiler/Zach Banner

Defense (Base 3-4)

Defensive end: Cam Heyward

Defensive tackle: Javon Hargrave/Dan McCullers

Defensive end: Tyson Alualu

Left outside linebacker: T.J. Watt

Left middle linebacker: Devin Bush/Mark Baron

Right middle linebacker: Vince Willams

Right outside linebacker: Bud Dupree

Cornerback: Joe Haden

Strong safety: Terrell Edmunds

Free safety: Minkah Fitzpatrick

Cornerback: Steven Nelson/Artie Burns

Nickle: Mike Hilton/Cameron Sutton

Special teams

Placekicker

Chris Boswell

Extra points: 25-25

Field goals: 26-28

0-19: 1-1 / 20-29: 10-10 / 30-39: 7-7 / 40-49: 7-8 / 50+: 1-2
Long: 51

Punter

Jordan Berry

Yards per punt: 46.1

Kickoff returners

Kerrith Whyte

Yards per kickoff return: 18.7

Return TD’s: 0

Punt returner

Diontae Johnson

Yards per kickoff return: 12.7

Return TD’s: 1

Scouting the Buffalo Bills

Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Overall record: 9-4

Head coach: Sean McDermott (3rd season with Bills)

Overall regular-season record: 24-21 / 24-21 with Bills
Playoff record: 0-0 (Qualified for playoffs 0 times)

2019 Buffalo Bills Team Roster

Buffalo Team Statistics

Last game: Ravens 24 Bills 17

Offense

Quarterbacks

Josh Allen*

Big and strong. Good runner. Has problems throwing over 15 yards vs tough defenses.

Passing yards: 2,737

TD passes: 17
Interceptions: 8
Sacks: 33

Yards rushing: 439

Rushing TD’s: 8

Running backs

Devin Singletary*

The rookie back is getting better with experience. Has a bright future ahead.

Yards rushing: 642

Rushing TD’s: 2

Receptions: 26

Yards receiving: 190
Receiving TD’s: 2

Frank Gore

Time never catches this guy, but tacklers have as the season has progressed.

Yards rushing: 558
Rushing TD’s: 2

Receptions: 10

Yards receiving: 84
Receiving TD’s: 0

Patrick DiMarco

Yards rushing: 7
Rushing TD’s: 0

Receptions: 5

Yards receiving: 41
Receiving TD’s: 0

Wide Receivers

John Brown*

Bills leading receiver with 908 yards. Nice speed and hands.

Receptions: 64

Receiving yards: 908
Receiving TD’s: 5

Cole Beasley*

Beasley has dug himself a nice role in the Bills offense. Tough kid who never stops.

Receptions: 59

Receiving yards: 664
Receiving TD’s: 6

Isaiah McKenzie

Receptions: 23

Receiving yards: 236
Receiving TD’s: 1

Zay Jones

Receptions: 7

Receiving yards: 69
Receiving TD’s: 0

Robert Foster

The local product has been hampered by injuries after a decent rookie season.

Receptions: 3

Receiving yards: 64
Receiving TD’s: 0

Tight Ends

Dawson Knox*

Receptions: 26

Receiving yards: 344
Receiving TD’s: 2

Lee Smith

Receptions: 4

Receiving yards: 31
Receiving TD’s: 1

*Denotes Starter

Defense (Base 3-4)

One of the league’s stingiest defenses, only allowing 296.8 total yards per game and 16.3 points per game. They have 15 players who have recorded a sack. Only 16 takeaways in 2019. By comparison, the Steelers have doubled them at 33.