Week 1: Steelers at Bills

[corta765]

On 9/6/2021 at 9:30 AM, YoloinOhio said:

It makes me borderline uncomfortable. Trying to get over my superstition but it is not easy, too many years of disappointment! 

 

1000% agree. Literally I am the dog in your profile picture saying this is nice... except instead of flames its just really happy sunshine and flowers. I can't process that

[Real McClappy]

1 hour ago, Buffalo Timmy said:

I keep reading Watt might not play due to contract. He is the main guy on that defense that scares me, in 2019 he was the most disruptive player on the field.

Really hope the money holdout holds.

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by Real McNasty

[Logic]

I'll be in the stands, screaming my head off and banging on the seats. I'm a little nervous about going, for obvious reasons, but life is short and I love the Bills, so here we are.

It's gonna be an absolutely insane game day atmosphere. Sometimes, this Bills roster comes out a little bit too hyped up in situations like this. As much as it will negatively affect the Steelers, it won't surprise me if it negatively affects the Bills a little bit, too, at least in the first quarter.

While I think the Bills will have a great season and win 12 or so games, I am picking the Steelers to steal one here.

The Bills have beaten them the last two times out, sure, but this game feels different to me. Duck Hodges will not be the quarterback. We will be seeing Roethlisberger right at the start of the season, rather than later in the season, meaning that his arm should be fresher. The Steelers defense will be healthier than the last couple times we played them -- even though Stephon Tuitt being out is a big blow. Najee Harris should add a dimension to their offense that it lacked last year.

At the end of the day, Mike Tomlin is a great coach, Big Ben is a Hall of Fame quarterback, they have a great corps of offensive playmakers, and their defense is likely to be elite. As previously mentioned, I also expect our guys to be a little too hyper in front of the raucous crowd.

Ultimately, the Bills win 12 or 13 games, but week 1 isn't one of them. Steelers 23, Bills 19

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by Logic

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

18 minutes ago, Real McNasty said:

Really hope the money holdout holds.

 

Sounds like the big day is tomorrow. Wednesday is the normal start of the practice week in-season so if he practices then they can save face on that policy Fowler is talking about. 

[Cheektowaga Chad]

I think its a huge advantage for this season overall starting at home, I think it might take a game or at least a half to get used to the noise again. Being able to start at home and hear the noise but not be used against you should benefit the bills for their first road game the following week

Edited September 7, 2021 by Cheektowaga Chad

[Cray51]

It feels nice knowing the ability of most of your team.  We know what these guys can do.  I'm expecting 30 points from our offense.  This matchup comes down to defense.   Can we get their offense off the field as much as possible?  I think we can.

 

31-17 is my guess.  We jump out to a decent lead at half and force Pitt to have a few 4th down plays in the redzone as they need TD's over FGs.  

[Greg S]

2 minutes ago, Cheektowaga Chad said:

I think its a huge advantage for this season overall starting at home, I think it might take a game or at least a half to get used to the noise again. Being able to start at home and hear the noise but not be used against you should benefit the bills for their first road game the following week

 

The first road game is at Miami which is not an intimidating place to play. Probably going to have 10-15,000 Bills fans at that game anyway.

Edited September 7, 2021 by Greg S

[SCBills]

2 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

The first road game is at Miami which is not an intimidating place to play. Probably going to have 10-15,000 Bills fans at that game anyway.

 

The heat is a bit of a worry if it's a sunny day, but we typically play well there - and as you mentioned - that place is Buffalo South. 

[YoloinOhio]

 

[Cheektowaga Chad]

33 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

The first road game is at Miami which is not an intimidating place to play. Probably going to have 10-15,000 Bills fans at that game anyway.

The schedule is great for easing back into the crowd noise 

[Warcodered]

 

[YoloinOhio]

 

 

 

 

[RobbRiddick]

On 9/6/2021 at 2:26 PM, BillsPride12 said:

It still feels surreal to me when I watch these National Media shows and they are talking about the Bills having the best QB in the entire league and him being the front runner for MVP and the Bills being a top Super Bowl contender.

Imagine if you woke up and Peterman was the starting qb

[YoloinOhio]

 

Interesting 

 

[Patrick Duffy]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I would say that Tomlin will do his best to have them prepared

But yes, this is a big test for a young OL - not just a rookie C, but a rookie LT and a young LG

While Tomlin is a great coach, even some of the most experienced C (or offense's in general) have had difficulties with the noise Bills fans can produce. I imagine this 1st home game back for fans along with being the opener it will be as loud as it's ever been.

 

I agree, definitely will be a test for not only the rookie C, but the entire OL at times. Can't wait!!!

[Nineforty]

10 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

Interesting 

 

 

 

A 'Tomlin-ism' alert!

 

"spin the dial through the division of labor".

 

add it to the quote board!

[YoloinOhio]

5 minutes ago, Nineforty said:

 

 

A 'Tomlin-ism' alert!

 

"spin the dial through the division of labor".

 

add it to the quote board!

Put it on Beasely’s bulletin board too

Edited September 7, 2021 by YoloinOhio

[YattaOkasan]

4 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Put it on Beasely’s bulletin board too

Put it on Sanders' and Mckenzie's board too.  We can also spin the dial through division of labor in the slot.  All 3 could have a good day if we wanna keep legs fresh.

Edited September 7, 2021 by YattaOkasan

[RiotAct]

Email received from the Bills regarding some logistics for those attending the game:

 

“We are so excited to be hosting fans at full capacity for our opening game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 12.  We wanted to provide some information about gate entry so you can prepare ahead of time.  Like many businesses right now, we are experiencing some staffing challenges and our game day personnel will need to operate even more efficiently than normal to make gate entry run smoothly.  As a result, we recommend that you enter the stadium much earlier than you may be accustomed to in order to be in your seats for kickoff. 

 

To help make sure you don’t miss kickoff, we are opening the gates 30 minutes earlier beginning at 11:00 a.m. We strongly recommend that you arrive at the gate entry area no later than 12:00pm.  Anyone arriving to the gates after 12:00pm could be in jeopardy of missing kickoff.

 

Additionally, all points of sale including the parking lots and inside the stadium are now cashless transactions – this is to ensure safety, efficiency and convenience for our staff and fans.  Lastly, all tickets are now mobile, so it will be important to do the following:

 

• Add your ticket (and parking if applicable) to your phone’s digital wallet in advance to avoid slow or weak Wi-Fi or cellular signals at the stadium.

• Make sure you have a full battery charge before you head to the stadium.

• If you are attending with guests, transfer each person their own ticket in advance.

 

Thank you and we can’t wait to see you for the game!”

[Hapless Bills Fan]

32 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

Yeah but then there's this:

 

 

[Solomon Grundy]

3 hours ago, Buffalo Timmy said:

I keep reading Watt might not play due to contract. He is the main guy on that defense that scares me, in 2019 he was the most disruptive player on the field.

I think Tuitt is a bigger loss for them

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

I think Tuitt is a bigger loss for them

 

It's a point that IIRC, Tuitt and Cam Hayward gave our OL fits esp. in the 1st half of the game

TJ Watt spent the game being escorted out of the play by Darryl Williams.

[YoloinOhio]

21 minutes ago, YattaOkasan said:

Put it on Sanders' and Mckenzie's board too.  We can also spin the dial through division of labor in the slot.  All 3 could have a good day if we wanna keep legs fresh.

True. When I read the comment it makes it sound like they are just going to throw whoever in the slot - “spin the wheel”… I would be a bit slighted if I was an all pro slot guy and Pitt didn’t feel they needed to really have a solid plan there. 

[YattaOkasan]

7 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

True. When I read the comment it makes it sound like they are just going to throw whoever in the slot - “spin the wheel”… I would be a bit slighted if I was an all pro slot guy and Pitt didn’t feel they needed to really have a solid plan there. 

For sure.  Your comment caused my mind to contrast their lack of talent at the position versus our overwhelming depth.  For both teams there seems to be pretty consistent performance from all players on the depth chart; just with us were talking about an all pro that starts and they are talking about just a guy that starts.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

11 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

True. When I read the comment it makes it sound like they are just going to throw whoever in the slot - “spin the wheel”… I would be a bit slighted if I was an all pro slot guy and Pitt didn’t feel they needed to really have a solid plan there. 

 

So.  On the one hand, the Steelers did a pretty good job of shutting Beasley down last year - 5 receptions on 10 targets for 41 yds.

On the other hand, the Steelers CB in that game were Steve Nelson, Cameron Sutton, and Mike Hilton.  (Joe Haden was inactive)

 

Nelson and Hilton are gone.

 

I think Sutton was their slot CB last season?  (not sure)

So Sutton and Haden are listed as their starting corners.

 

I'm sure Tomlin has a plan, I'm equally sure he wants to wait until game day for us to find out what it is.

 

 

 

[Logic]

I'm just curious: am I the lone soul picking the Steelers to win this one? It sure feels that way.

[BillnutinHouston]

Yes Debbie.

[Patrick Duffy]

2 minutes ago, Logic said:

I'm just curious: am I the lone soul picking the Steelers to win this one? It sure feels that way.

I don't buy you are really picking the Steelers lol

[blitzboy54]

1 minute ago, Sheneneh Jenkins said:

I don't buy you are really picking the Steelers lol

 

It's a self defense mechanism. Bills should slaughter the Stealers 

[CircleTheWagonsNC]

Heading to the home opener this Sunday from North Carolina!  Planning to park in the Mud Lot.  Anything we need to know in advance?  Does anyone know how much it costs to park there?  Thanks!  GO BILLS

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

8 minutes ago, Logic said:

I'm just curious: am I the lone soul picking the Steelers to win this one? It sure feels that way.

Yeah I don't see where you're coming from with this one. I don't see how they score on us and I don't see how they stop us from scoring. 

 

Their OL sucks and Ben is old and immobile so they can't run or throw deep. So McDermott gets to focus on just the short passing game and he'll have a plan for it.

 

Other side, how can they match up with all our WRs and limit our passing game? I think Bills win this game handily.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

12 minutes ago, Logic said:

I'm just curious: am I the lone soul picking the Steelers to win this one? It sure feels that way.

prly

there’s Virgil but he don’t count  

[RichRiderBills]

2 minutes ago, Logic said:

I'm just curious: am I the lone soul picking the Steelers to win this one? It sure feels that way.

 

Very few are , and most that have articulated themselves a bit better than what you did with a glorified " I got a feeling we blow it" . 

 

Its not that the Bills are invincible, but I just don't see it. Steelers Oline is really weak...new offensive coordinator / offensive system with stubborn old QB will be a recipe for disaster. I think the Bills defense will be improved and Big Ben behind this oline is a recipe for disaster.

 

Pitt is a regional rival we love to hate. Stadium will be rocking. 

 

Yes Steelers got out to a hot start last year, but our roster is just better all around. The Bills are a top 3 super bowl contender, and most of us are not used to this spot. We're good...we have good focused players, and focused coaching that have not lapsed in these moments. As of 2021, Bills have a better QB, better defense , and better coach. This is my bottom line. 

 

There were guys like you every week last year. I am cool with that, but itemize the reasons why and maybe there is buy in.

[Nineforty]

1 hour ago, RiotAct said:

Email received from the Bills regarding some logistics for those attending the game:

 

“We are so excited to be hosting fans at full capacity for our opening game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 12.  We wanted to provide some information about gate entry so you can prepare ahead of time.  Like many businesses right now, we are experiencing some staffing challenges and our game day personnel will need to operate even more efficiently than normal to make gate entry run smoothly.  As a result, we recommend that you enter the stadium much earlier than you may be accustomed to in order to be in your seats for kickoff. 

 

To help make sure you don’t miss kickoff, we are opening the gates 30 minutes earlier beginning at 11:00 a.m. We strongly recommend that you arrive at the gate entry area no later than 12:00pm.  Anyone arriving to the gates after 12:00pm could be in jeopardy of missing kickoff.

 

Additionally, all points of sale including the parking lots and inside the stadium are now cashless transactions – this is to ensure safety, efficiency and convenience for our staff and fans.  Lastly, all tickets are now mobile, so it will be important to do the following:

 

• Add your ticket (and parking if applicable) to your phone’s digital wallet in advance to avoid slow or weak Wi-Fi or cellular signals at the stadium.

• Make sure you have a full battery charge before you head to the stadium.

• If you are attending with guests, transfer each person their own ticket in advance.

 

Thank you and we can’t wait to see you for the game!”

 

what do you do if you have a flip phone?  snarky replies are welcome as well as real ones. 

[YoloinOhio]

 

 

 

 

[Stank_Nasty]

28 minutes ago, Logic said:

I'm just curious: am I the lone soul picking the Steelers to win this one? It sure feels that way.

you might be. IMO too many people are just assuming the steelers defense is gonna be elite again. We know first hand(2020) what dealing with some injuries, departures, and elite qb's can do to a defense we expect to be good. Tuitt is a huge piece thats gone, Dupree is a good player, and in your original prediction you fail to mention the departure of Hilton, and Nelson. Hilton was a top 3 nickel CB last year and Nelson was an above average #2cb. Their defense is gonna have 4 new starters at key positions. I personally dont see them being nearly as dominant.

 

Then lets factor in an offensive line that was already awful inserting 2 rookies into opening day as they travel to a notoriously raucous environment. All of this against a team returning 21 of 22 starters after going 13-3..... I personally just dont think pittsburgh is gonna be all that good. 

Edited September 7, 2021 by Stank_Nasty

[Greg S]

1 minute ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

 

 

Shouldn't Metallica's Seek and Destroy be the theme song all season?

[Logic]

18 minutes ago, RichRiderBills said:

 

Very few are , and most that have articulated themselves a bit better than what you did with a glorified " I got a feeling we blow it" . 

 

Its not that the Bills are invincible, but I just don't see it. Steelers Oline is really weak...new offensive coordinator / offensive system with stubborn old QB will be a recipe for disaster. I think the Bills defense will be improved and Big Ben behind this oline is a recipe for disaster.

 

Pitt is a regional rival we love to hate. Stadium will be rocking. 

 

Yes Steelers got out to a hot start last year, but our roster is just better all around. The Bills are a top 3 super bowl contender, and most of us are not used to this spot. We're good...we have good focused players, and focused coaching that have not lapsed in these moments. As of 2021, Bills have a better QB, better defense , and better coach. This is my bottom line. 

 

There were guys like you every week last year. I am cool with that, but itemize the reasons why and maybe there is buy in.

I'm guessing from this response that you didn't actually read the post in this thread where I explained exactly why I think the Steelers will win this one. I listed EXACTLY why I think they take it: Good head coach who isn't going to take two straight losses to the Bills lightly, a fresher Big Ben, an improved running game with Najee Harris, a healthier defense than the Bills have face the last two times out, and the Bills players being too hyped up in front of the raucous crowd (a phenomenon we've seen before with this team). I listed at least as many and as valid a set of reasons for my prediction as you did for yours.

As for "guys like me"....again, not so sure you know what you're talking about here. I'm a pretty relentlessly optimistic person, and I said in that same post that I expect the Bills to win 12 or 13 games this year. Assuming you don't believe they'll win all 17 (which I do not), it seems reasonable and necessary to predict a loss every now and again. Predicting that one of said losses comes against a high quality head coach with a Hall of Fame quarterback isn't exactly ground-breaking stuff.

I'm not saying anyone has to agree with me -- I recognize that mine is the minority opinion. But to suggest that I didn't explain why I'm predicting a loss or that I'm some type of consistently negative poster is inaccurate and a poor characterization.

29 minutes ago, blitzboy54 said:

 

It's a self defense mechanism. Bills should slaughter the Stealers 

It's not. I believe the Bills will win 12 or 13 games this year and take the division. I just don't think they'll win all 17 games. 

Edited September 7, 2021 by Logic

[Patrick Duffy]

5 minutes ago, Logic said:

'm guessing from this response that you didn't actually read the post in this thread where I explained exactly why I think the Steelers will win this one. I listed EXACTLY why I think they take it.

I know this post isn't toward me, but just to clarify, I didn't go through thread and see you're reasons as to why you think that. Lol, tbh, I thought you were being sarcastic actually. My bad

Edited September 7, 2021 by Sheneneh Jenkins

[Logic]

1 minute ago, Sheneneh Jenkins said:

I know this post isn't toward me, but just to clarify, I didn't go through thread and see you're reasons as to why you think that. Lol, tbh, I thought you were being sarcastic actually. My bad

All good, it indeed was not directed at you.