Bills vs. Steelers: 7 storylines to watch for during Wild-Card week
The Buffalo Bills will turn to the first page of their upcoming postseason journey: A Wild-Card matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bills (11-6) are fresh off their huge win over the Miami Dolphins in a 21-14 fashion. Buffalo will hope to stay in their winning ways against Pittsburgh, however, the Steelers (10-7) will be no pushover.
But before we even get to kickoff, there will be a lot of Bills-related discussions and conversations to be had throughout the coming days.
With that, here are seven storylines to watch for during the lead up to Bills vs. Steelers on Sunday:
We know they went to college together
Did you know Bills coach Sean McDermott and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin know each other from college? William & Mary, is it?
Rinse and repeat: We’ll hear about that connection all week leading up to Sunday… and for those watching on television, they’ll say it plenty on the broadcast too.
Injury updates
Tons of injury updates to watch on both sides all throughout the upcoming week.
The Bills and Miami Dolphins were both beaten up in their season finale matchup. For Buffalo, names to watch on the injury report this week include:
LB Tyrel Dodson (knoee)
OL Dion Dawkins (hand)
TB Ty Johnson (concussion)
WR Gabe Davis (knee)
CB Rasul Douglas (knee)
S Taylor Rapp (undisclosed)
As for Pittsburgh, the big name is TJ Watt (knee). He’s likely out, but they could get All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) back.
Two hot teams
Many here will known the Bills are on a five-game winning streak. The Steelers had to win three in a row to crack the postseason, too.
Buffalo and Pittsburgh are two of the NFL’s hottest teams facing off over Wild-Card weekend. McDermott has to have his team taking them seriously.
Home-field advantage
Throughout McDermott’s tenure, home-field advantage in the postseason has always made a huge difference. Most of the team’s losses under his watch in the playoffs have come on the road.
But it’s worth noting, Pittsburgh is geographically the closest team to Buffalo. There could be a decent amount of terrible towels at Highmark Stadium on Sunday.
New QB
That referenced three-game winning streak for the Steelers came under the watch of Mason Rudolph. He took over quartebacking duties during that time frame and Tomlin said they’re sticking with him in Buffalo.
In three starts, Rudolph has put up 719 yards and three touchdowns and no turnovers. He’s helped Pittsburgh put up over 30 points in two of those three.
And which Bills offense do we see?
Speaking of offense, during Buffalo’s win streak it has mostly been the James Cook show. The Pro Bowl running back has led the way in most of those games… but last week he took a backseat to quarterback Josh Allen and the passing game.
Who leads the way against the Steelers?
Pittsburgh’s defense is similar to the Bills defense. It’s a bend but don’t break group.
The Steelers’ rankings:
Run defense: 115.1 YPG (19th)
Pass defense: 227 YPG (17th)
Points allowed: 19.1 (6th)
Beautiful Buffalo/Pittsburgh day
The radar looks ugly for Sunday. A 50 percent chance of snow during the game and winds could reach up to 20 miles per hour.
The temperature will be around 20 degrees.
But… it’s Buffalo hosting Pittsburgh. Not Miami. Two winter teams do battle in their local conditions.
