Scouting The Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 1 2021)

[Dont Stop Billeiving]

Congrats everyone, we made it through another long offseason and the games that count are finally here. Figured I would continue this series of posts for a second season if you'll indulge me. Just a quick note that this post for our Week 1 opponent will be a bit different than the usual format given that we only have the preseason to go on so far and all the changes to both teams this past offseason through free agency and the draft. 

 

To begin the 2021 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in town to face our Buffalo Bills in front of what is sure to be an incredible crowd and atmosphere (expecting some serious chills when I first hear that crowd noise on Sunday). I think the general consensus seems to be that these two teams are headed in opposite directions, but the Steelers still have some blue chip talent particularly in that defensive front seven and they are a veteran-laden team with winning/playoff experience. I have reviewed the game tape from our 2020 match up with Pittsburgh as well as the four Steelers 2021 preseason games in order to get a sense of the team we'll see on Sunday. Same as the previous weeks, I wanted to do an amateur deep dive/scouting session into the Steelers' last three games based on their game highlights (granted it's not the All-22 film but still nearly an hour of tape) and then list some keys/X-factors for our matchup this week. Anyways, hope you enjoy/find this useful:

 

***Offensive and Defensive Ranks are based on Football Outsiders' Defense-adjusted Value Over Average statistics***

https://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings  ***Not applicable yet***

 

 

Recap of the Bills' 26-15 Win against the Pittsburgh Steelers At Home on December 14, 2020:

 

- The first half was really tight and Pittsburgh looked like the better team early despite missing Joe Haden, Bud Dupree, Devin Bush, and a few others. It wasn't until Taron Johnson's pick-six at the very end of the first half that the tide started to turn. We led 9-7 at halftime.

- The Steelers got a ton of pressure on Allen early and Cam Heyward terrorized our IOL in particular. However, the line adjusted and kept Allen clean in the second half. With more time, Allen and Diggs began to pick apart the Steelers secondary as the Bills scored 23 unanswered points. 

- However, once we went up 23-7, we allowed Pittsburgh to drive straight down the field with chunk plays where they scored a TD and two point conversion in less than three minutes. One of the most frustrating drives our defense gave up all year. 

- Dawson Knox had one of his better games (he did play well to end the season) and drew a critical pass interference penalty on a deep pass that gave the Bills a first-and-goal from the two yard line. We should have scored a TD, but settled for a still important FG and a two possession lead. 

- Zack Moss had some huge carries in the fourth quarter that helped keep the chains and clock moving, running through and around defenders. A sign of what he could become if he stays healthy. 

 

Key Takeaways from Pittsburgh's Four Preseason Games:

 

August 6th- Hall of Fame Game Win against the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 16-3 in Canton, Ohio:

- Chase Claypool, Najee Harris, and some of the younger expected starters played the first quarter in this game.

- Like most NFL teams, the Steelers are in a lot of trouble if Big Ben goes down injured for any amount of time. Mason Rudolph looked shaky and dropped an early jet sweep handoff for a lost fumble. Dwayne Haskins looked sharp enough in his initial appearances, but looked completely hopeless in the loss to Carolina.

- The early signs were good last season and Alex Highsmith (a guy I liked a lot for the Bills in the 2020 draft) looks like he could make Steelers fans forget all about Bud Dupree. Has great burst and generated a lot of pressure and at least one sack from his ROLB spot. 

- Claypool and James Washington both had key third down drops that killed drives. Something to watch as Pittsburgh had one of the worst drop rates in the NFL in 2020.

- Harris has the size to run through arm tackles and the speed to get to the edge as well, he looked impressive in limited action. 

- Thought Dallas was able to use misdirection to take advantage of some over-aggressiveness by the Pitt defense really effectively. 

- I'm sure that the coverages were on the vanilla side for preseason, but the Pittsburgh secondary did not impress. Plenty of blown coverages and wide open targets for Dallas. Their starters and depth in the DB room should concern fans.

- Pittsburgh pulled away once the fourth stringers were in, but it was a low scoring defensive struggle when most roster-able players were involved. For example, it was 3-0 Cowboys with 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter and most stats favored Dallas overall.

 

August 13th- Win on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 24-16:

- Most starters played in this game with the exception of Big Ben and a couple others. 

- Pittsburgh blitzed Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco a ton, but they were generally able to escape pressure and find the open WR to move the chains. 

- Anthony McFarland flashed a few times and has looked like a key back up to Harris in the preseason. However, he's landed on the IR so Jaylen Samuels/Kalen Ballage will have to pick up the slack whenever Harris needs a breather. Benny Snell has been dealing with an injury all preseason and didn't feature until the last preseason game.

- Terrell Edmunds overran a short pass behind the LoS, then got walled off by a lineman, and Philly's rookie WR Quez Watkins made him pay with a 79 yard TD. Edmunds is known for some big hits and some timely takeaways, but he is one of a few weak links in that secondary especially if you can isolate him in coverage. 

- Justin Layne (likely their 3rd CB on Sunday) positioned himself well and picked off Nick Mullens on a slight miscommunication between QB/WR on the route. 

- Similar to the first game, Pittsburgh's opponent dominated the early parts of the game and the Steelers really only came back once the depth players were on the field. It was 13-0 Eagles with two minutes to go in the first half. The Pittsburgh third stringers then dominated the rest of the game in points, yards, and TOP.

 

August 22nd- Win at Home against the Detroit Lions by a score of 26-20:

- The starters including Roethlisberger got their longest run out in this game.

- Eric Ebron had a crushing drop on third down after Ben made a great play eluding some pressure to get the ball across the field to him. 

- Roethlisberger responded on the next drive by hitting Diontae Johnson on a 40 yard completion (the coverage was pretty terrible to be fair but the willingness to throw deep stood out). He then hit Pat Freiermuth later in the drive for the Steelers' first TD of the preseason involving their starters (they'd connect for a second TD over the top of an LB in coverage on the next drive as well). Arguments can be made about the value/draft capital they spent, but Harris and Freiermuth look like two solid building blocks for that offense. 

- Harris made a catch on a short crossing pattern and then gave a great YAC effort, eluding two defenders and tiptoeing the sideline for 25+ extra yards. 

- Melvin Ingram made no impression on me throughout his time on the field in any of these games. I thought he had more left in the tank, but I can't recall seeing him affect the QB even once. 

- Opposite of the first two games, Pittsburgh dominated while their first and second string players were in and then took their foot off the gas (20-0 Steelers at halftime). 

 

August 28th- Loss on the road against the Carolina Panthers by a score of 34-9:

- Sam Darnold looked really effective against the Steelers (19/25 for 162 yards and 2 TDs) despite facing a lot of pressure now that he has actual NFL talent around him. He spread the ball around and led Carolina to a 17-0 lead at HT. A lot of their young players and recent draft picks impressed me, they're a couple years away in a tough division, but I like what they're trying to build at Two Bills Drive South. 

- Derek Watt and old friend Ray-Ray McCloud dropped early passes with Watt's resulting in a tip drill INT for Carolina. 

- Claypool can be an effective weapon on jet sweeps and reverses, something to look out for. 

- Robert Spillane had his moment last season with all of their LB injuries, but he has looked slow to react vs the run and exposed in coverage as well. Would be trouble for Pittsburgh if he had to start for any length of time IMO.

 

 

Sunday September 12th Preview- Week 1 Pittsburgh Steelers (current record: 0-0) At The Buffalo Bills (current record: 0-0):

 

Bills On Offense- Pittsburgh's front seven is still the strength of this team. I expect them to get pressure on Allen and make running inside the tackles a difficult proposition. Devin Bush and Alex Highsmith are promising young players who I think could break out in 2021. However, there are questions going into Week 1 with TJ Watt's holdout (I expect him to play, but will his non-contact preseason have an effect on his fitness/performance?) and Stephon Tuitt's absence due to injury. Bud Dupree is gone replaced by Melvin Ingram. Cam Heyward is still one of the most underrated players in the entire league IMO and Tyson Alualu is an outstanding run defender, but they are 32 and 34 respectively. The Steelers run defense faltered down the stretch last year and I think we could see the Bills attack the edges (hopefully Breida is active and gets a few snaps to use his speed this week). Their obvious weakness on paper appears to be the secondary. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a ballhawk, but I thought he benefitted from turnover luck last season and we neutralized him in last year's matchup. Joe Haden is back (although he's 32 and reportedly unhappy about his contract) and he's a solid CB1, but I don't believe he can hang with Stefon Diggs. Then right down the line, the Bills should have the matchups to exploit with Sanders, Beasley, and Davis against Terrell Edmunds, Cam Sutton, and Justin Layne who are average to below average players in coverage. If the offensive line can give Josh time to throw, there are a lot of chunk plays and points to be had. 

 

Bills On Defense- Big Ben is getting up there in age (39) and hits taken as he enters his 18th season. Pittsburgh has a new offensive coordinator and scheme although Matt Canada's scheme replicates a lot of what the Steelers did in 2020 with plenty of pre-snap motion (noticeable in their preseason games) and quick passing. Last year, it appeared Ben's arm strength declined and he was less mobile/less willing to stand in the pocket, throwing shorter passes and getting the ball out in an average of 2.17 seconds (by far the fastest in the NFL). His overall stats in 2020 look good on paper, but he recorded his second-lowest passer rating against the Bills. Roethlisberger also did not perform well under pressure (another factor in their quick passing strategy I'm sure) and that's bad news because the Pittsburgh offensive line (which used to be the gold standard of the AFC not too long ago) has lost David DeCastro, Alejandro Villenueva, and Maurkice Pouncey and replaced them with inexperienced (two rookies in Kendrick Green and Dan Moore) and replacement-level (Trai Turner and Chuks Okorafor) options. PFF rankings aren't the most logical or consistent all the time, but they ranked the Steelers O-line 31st which matches the eye test in my view.

 

Najee Harris, on the other hand, looks like he could be the real deal. He's a powerful runner and an impressive receiving back who will be the focal point of this offense. Harris does an outstanding job after contact and seems to always fall forward for the extra yard. Whether he was worth the first round capital it took to get him or not while they had so many other needs is another story. The Pittsburgh WR room is deep and versatile, but lacks a true #1 guy and really struggled with drops last year. Chase Claypool is a big play threat with a lot of YAC ability. Diontae Johnson is an underrated player who makes that offense tick. That's before we even get to JuJu Smith-Schuster (of Crate Challenge fame) and James Washington who can play above the rim and are both capable of big games in their own right. Combined with co-starters Eric Ebron and second round pick Pat Freiermuth, that's a versatile arsenal of receiving weapons. However, I think our usually strong pass defense matches up well with their skill players and Pittsburgh lacks the elite speed which has hurt us in the past (see KC). The Steelers should be a better running team this year and lean on that more so I think the Bills defense needs to drop Poyer or Hyde into the box on most plays to help vs the run and then look to jump shorter routes that present day Big Ben loves. Finally, I'm watching and hoping for this 2021 Bills defense to reverse a worrying trend of poor tackling and for them to disrupt passing lanes even if they can't get to the QB. 

 

On Special Teams- McCloud handles most of the returning for Pittsburgh and actually cleaned up his ball security issues to a large degree last season. The Steelers like him a lot and extended his contract this offseason. The kicking game is in steady enough hands with Boswell although he missed his final XP and they have a new rookie punter Pressley Harvin III who performed well in preseason. 

 

Alright thanks for reading! I enjoyed putting this together and will look to do so each week moving forward. The Steelers are a well-coached veteran team with some exciting players, but the NFL is a matchup league and I think the Bills are perfectly built to take advantage of Pittsburgh's weaknesses at offensive line and defensive back. The Bills are also relatively healthy (a few bumps and bruises, but Marquez Stevenson is the only player that doesn't have a chance to play on Sunday) while Pittsburgh has suffered some key losses on both lines already in Stephon Tuitt and Zach Banner. The Highmark (not sold on this?) will be rocking and the Bills have to be confident that they can be even better than last year's team and move to 3-0 over Pittsburgh since Sean McDermott took over. 

 

Can't wait for Sunday! All the best and Go Bills!

 

[RoyBatty is alive]

Excellent, tremendous work.

 

This is what I must wanted to know about, " but they ranked the Steelers O-line 31st which matches the eye test in my view.".  I cant wait to see our pass rush, especially Greg Rousseau.  I am in the camp that Big Ben is shot so to your point, he is going to have to get the ball off early avoid the rush.  And with a suspect line running will be tough, yes they have Harris but it could be a great day for the Bills defense.

[First Round Bust]

well it beats opening (and struggling) with the Jets...Pitts went 11-0 to start last season before a significant fade, so Big Ben is fresh and I expect a tough game.

 

Focus points:

 

1. IOL - I do expect blitzes, stunts and good 1:1 pressure from the inside, Ford esp has to prove he can handle, Morse will likely need help with Heyward as well.

 

2. Watt  (expected to play)- D Williams had a strong game last time - pretty much handled Watt 1:1 so we can spare double-team here for better inside support

 

3. Bills pass rush - eyes on Rousseau for impact, AND Addison played close to 60% last season, there should be some synergy between playing Addison less and getting more pressures-sacks.  Better organic pressure, less blitzing = better coverage esp middle of field and TEs...

 

4. Bills run D - does Star have impact, does Oliver continue to improve, can Milano stay healthy as undersized LB ?

 

5. Butler - if-when they decide to bring Stevenson back from IR his roster spot comes to mind first, given 3 current DT subs (Zim, Harry, Butler) behind Star and Ollie, plus Butler would be 4M in cap savings as Bills are second-from-last in cap room....

 

 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2021 by First Round Bust

[Kwai San]

Helluva job!  I am sure more than a wee bit of work went into this and it shows.

 

Thanks man.....LFG!

 

Go BILLS!!!

[ColoradoBills]

40 minutes ago, Dont Stop Billeiving said:

Bills On Offense- Pittsburgh's front seven is still the strength of this team. I expect them to get pressure on Allen and make running inside the tackles a difficult proposition. Devin Bush and Alex Highsmith are promising young players who I think could break out in 2021. However, there are questions going into Week 1 with TJ Watt's holdout (I expect him to play, but will his non-contact preseason have an effect on his fitness/performance?) and Stephon Tuitt's absence due to injury. Bud Dupree is gone replaced by Melvin Ingram. Cam Heyward is still one of the most underrated players in the entire league IMO and Tyson Alualu is an outstanding run defender, but they are 32 and 34 respectively. The Steelers run defense faltered down the stretch last year and I think we could see the Bills attack the edges (hopefully Breida is active and gets a few snaps to use his speed this week). Their obvious weakness on paper appears to be the secondary. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a ballhawk, but I thought he benefitted from turnover luck last season and we neutralized him in last year's matchup. Joe Haden is back (although he's 32 and reportedly unhappy about his contract) and he's a solid CB1, but I don't believe he can hang with Stefon Diggs. Then right down the line, the Bills should have the matchups to exploit with Sanders, Beasley, and Davis against Terrell Edmunds, Cam Sutton, and Justin Layne who are average to below average players in coverage. If the offensive line can give Josh time to throw, there are a lot of chunk plays and points to be had. 

 

Great evaluation.  Thank you.  I got a question for those who know better than myself.

Pitts LB Depth Chart is as follows:

 

LOLB - Watt (Backed up by Ingram)

LILB - Bush

RILB - Schobert (acquired from JAX this year and had a good career in CLE)

ROLB - Highsmith (Backed up by Ingram)

 

With Bush and Schobert they look strong in the middle.

IF Watt does not play that gives them Highsmith and Ingram on the outside.  That is a huge drop from Watt and Dupree.

I wonder if Daboll can work the edges both running (like the OP said) and passing?

 

Ingram is a great player and started out as an OLB in the Charger 3-4 but has been a RDE every since they went back to a 4-3.

(I just checked and he has been playing RDE for the last 4 years).

Does he still got the speed at his age for LOLB and is he going to play a bit out of position?

 

Then again Watt could play and this is all moot.

 

 

[Dont Stop Billeiving]

2 hours ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

Excellent, tremendous work.

 

This is what I must wanted to know about, " but they ranked the Steelers O-line 31st which matches the eye test in my view.".  I cant wait to see our pass rush, especially Greg Rousseau.  I am in the camp that Big Ben is shot so to your point, he is going to have to get the ball off early avoid the rush.  And with a suspect line running will be tough, yes they have Harris but it could be a great day for the Bills defense.

Agreed, I'm most looking forward to watching our defensive line against the Steelers inexperienced and below average O-line. The additions of Groot, Boogie, and Obada along with Epenesa and Oliver hopefully taking the next step in their development. Lots of youth, length, and athleticism in this group with some steady veterans in Hughes/Addison. We may not be able to sack Big Ben that much b/c he gets the ball out so quickly, but hopefully those guys get their hands up to bat down some passes and disrupt their passing lanes/timing. 

 

Also excited to see the impact Star can have in the run game (if he is healthy enough to play) and the knock-on effect that has on Edmunds and Milano. 

[Coach Tuesday]

Somewhat reminiscent of Lori's game week write-ups, which I miss.

[Lothar]

Nice work overall.

I agree with you that Freiermuth is going to be where Ben focuses in the red zone - he made a couple of amazing grabs in tight spaces in the endzone during the preseason and I know they'll be targeting him. We better shade our coverage toward him as they get close.

 

"Edmunds is known for some big hits and some timely takeaways, but he is one of a few weak links in that secondary especially if you can isolate him in coverage. "

 

Not sure I agree with this statement - they are an absolute cluster in that secondary after Fitzpatrick.  Hayden used to be outstanding but is closer to just serviceable at the moment. The rest of their secondary is mostly stop gap level.  While their front seven, when healthy, is among the best in the league, their back end will not hold up to 4 and 5 wide attacks, which happens to be our strong suit.

[FLFan]

4 hours ago, Dont Stop Billeiving said:

Congrats everyone, we made it through another long offseason and the games that count are finally here. Figured I would continue this series of posts for a second season if you'll indulge me. Just a quick note that this post for our Week 1 opponent will be a bit different than the usual format given that we only have the preseason to go on so far and all the changes to both teams this past offseason through free agency and the draft. 

 

To begin the 2021 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in town to face our Buffalo Bills in front of what is sure to be an incredible crowd and atmosphere (expecting some serious chills when I first hear that crowd noise on Sunday). I think the general consensus seems to be that these two teams are headed in opposite directions, but the Steelers still have some blue chip talent particularly in that defensive front seven and they are a veteran-laden team with winning/playoff experience. I have reviewed the game tape from our 2020 match up with Pittsburgh as well as the four Steelers 2021 preseason games in order to get a sense of the team we'll see on Sunday. Same as the previous weeks, I wanted to do an amateur deep dive/scouting session into the Steelers' last three games based on their game highlights (granted it's not the All-22 film but still nearly an hour of tape) and then list some keys/X-factors for our matchup this week. Anyways, hope you enjoy/find this useful:

 

***Offensive and Defensive Ranks are based on Football Outsiders' Defense-adjusted Value Over Average statistics***

https://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings  ***Not applicable yet***

 

 

Recap of the Bills' 26-15 Win against the Pittsburgh Steelers At Home on December 14, 2020:

 

- The first half was really tight and Pittsburgh looked like the better team early despite missing Joe Haden, Bud Dupree, Devin Bush, and a few others. It wasn't until Taron Johnson's pick-six at the very end of the first half that the tide started to turn. We led 9-7 at halftime.

- The Steelers got a ton of pressure on Allen early and Cam Heyward terrorized our IOL in particular. However, the line adjusted and kept Allen clean in the second half. With more time, Allen and Diggs began to pick apart the Steelers secondary as the Bills scored 23 unanswered points. 

- However, once we went up 23-7, we allowed Pittsburgh to drive straight down the field with chunk plays where they scored a TD and two point conversion in less than three minutes. One of the most frustrating drives our defense gave up all year. 

- Dawson Knox had one of his better games (he did play well to end the season) and drew a critical pass interference penalty on a deep pass that gave the Bills a first-and-goal from the two yard line. We should have scored a TD, but settled for a still important FG and a two possession lead. 

- Zack Moss had some huge carries in the fourth quarter that helped keep the chains and clock moving, running through and around defenders. A sign of what he could become if he stays healthy. 

 

Key Takeaways from Pittsburgh's Four Preseason Games:

 

August 6th- Hall of Fame Game Win against the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 16-3 in Canton, Ohio:

- Chase Claypool, Najee Harris, and some of the younger expected starters played the first quarter in this game.

- Like most NFL teams, the Steelers are in a lot of trouble if Big Ben goes down injured for any amount of time. Mason Rudolph looked shaky and dropped an early jet sweep handoff for a lost fumble. Dwayne Haskins looked sharp enough in his initial appearances, but looked completely hopeless in the loss to Carolina.

- The early signs were good last season and Alex Highsmith (a guy I liked a lot for the Bills in the 2020 draft) looks like he could make Steelers fans forget all about Bud Dupree. Has great burst and generated a lot of pressure and at least one sack from his ROLB spot. 

- Claypool and James Washington both had key third down drops that killed drives. Something to watch as Pittsburgh had one of the worst drop rates in the NFL in 2020.

- Harris has the size to run through arm tackles and the speed to get to the edge as well, he looked impressive in limited action. 

- Thought Dallas was able to use misdirection to take advantage of some over-aggressiveness by the Pitt defense really effectively. 

- I'm sure that the coverages were on the vanilla side for preseason, but the Pittsburgh secondary did not impress. Plenty of blown coverages and wide open targets for Dallas. Their starters and depth in the DB room should concern fans.

- Pittsburgh pulled away once the fourth stringers were in, but it was a low scoring defensive struggle when most roster-able players were involved. For example, it was 3-0 Cowboys with 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter and most stats favored Dallas overall.

 

August 13th- Win on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 24-16:

- Most starters played in this game with the exception of Big Ben and a couple others. 

- Pittsburgh blitzed Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco a ton, but they were generally able to escape pressure and find the open WR to move the chains. 

- Anthony McFarland flashed a few times and has looked like a key back up to Harris in the preseason. However, he's landed on the IR so Jaylen Samuels/Kalen Ballage will have to pick up the slack whenever Harris needs a breather. Benny Snell has been dealing with an injury all preseason and didn't feature until the last preseason game.

- Terrell Edmunds overran a short pass behind the LoS, then got walled off by a lineman, and Philly's rookie WR Quez Watkins made him pay with a 79 yard TD. Edmunds is known for some big hits and some timely takeaways, but he is one of a few weak links in that secondary especially if you can isolate him in coverage. 

- Justin Layne (likely their 3rd CB on Sunday) positioned himself well and picked off Nick Mullens on a slight miscommunication between QB/WR on the route. 

- Similar to the first game, Pittsburgh's opponent dominated the early parts of the game and the Steelers really only came back once the depth players were on the field. It was 13-0 Eagles with two minutes to go in the first half. The Pittsburgh third stringers then dominated the rest of the game in points, yards, and TOP.

 

August 22nd- Win at Home against the Detroit Lions by a score of 26-20:

- The starters including Roethlisberger got their longest run out in this game.

- Eric Ebron had a crushing drop on third down after Ben made a great play eluding some pressure to get the ball across the field to him. 

- Roethlisberger responded on the next drive by hitting Diontae Johnson on a 40 yard completion (the coverage was pretty terrible to be fair but the willingness to throw deep stood out). He then hit Pat Freiermuth later in the drive for the Steelers' first TD of the preseason involving their starters (they'd connect for a second TD over the top of an LB in coverage on the next drive as well). Arguments can be made about the value/draft capital they spent, but Harris and Freiermuth look like two solid building blocks for that offense. 

- Harris made a catch on a short crossing pattern and then gave a great YAC effort, eluding two defenders and tiptoeing the sideline for 25+ extra yards. 

- Melvin Ingram made no impression on me throughout his time on the field in any of these games. I thought he had more left in the tank, but I can't recall seeing him affect the QB even once. 

- Opposite of the first two games, Pittsburgh dominated while their first and second string players were in and then took their foot off the gas (20-0 Steelers at halftime). 

 

August 28th- Loss on the road against the Carolina Panthers by a score of 34-9:

- Sam Darnold looked really effective against the Steelers (19/25 for 162 yards and 2 TDs) despite facing a lot of pressure now that he has actual NFL talent around him. He spread the ball around and led Carolina to a 17-0 lead at HT. A lot of their young players and recent draft picks impressed me, they're a couple years away in a tough division, but I like what they're trying to build at Two Bills Drive South. 

- Derek Watt and old friend Ray-Ray McCloud dropped early passes with Watt's resulting in a tip drill INT for Carolina. 

- Claypool can be an effective weapon on jet sweeps and reverses, something to look out for. 

- Robert Spillane had his moment last season with all of their LB injuries, but he has looked slow to react vs the run and exposed in coverage as well. Would be trouble for Pittsburgh if he had to start for any length of time IMO.

 

 

Sunday September 12th Preview- Week 1 Pittsburgh Steelers (current record: 0-0) At The Buffalo Bills (current record: 0-0):

 

Bills On Offense- Pittsburgh's front seven is still the strength of this team. I expect them to get pressure on Allen and make running inside the tackles a difficult proposition. Devin Bush and Alex Highsmith are promising young players who I think could break out in 2021. However, there are questions going into Week 1 with TJ Watt's holdout (I expect him to play, but will his non-contact preseason have an effect on his fitness/performance?) and Stephon Tuitt's absence due to injury. Bud Dupree is gone replaced by Melvin Ingram. Cam Heyward is still one of the most underrated players in the entire league IMO and Tyson Alualu is an outstanding run defender, but they are 32 and 34 respectively. The Steelers run defense faltered down the stretch last year and I think we could see the Bills attack the edges (hopefully Breida is active and gets a few snaps to use his speed this week). Their obvious weakness on paper appears to be the secondary. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a ballhawk, but I thought he benefitted from turnover luck last season and we neutralized him in last year's matchup. Joe Haden is back (although he's 32 and reportedly unhappy about his contract) and he's a solid CB1, but I don't believe he can hang with Stefon Diggs. Then right down the line, the Bills should have the matchups to exploit with Sanders, Beasley, and Davis against Terrell Edmunds, Cam Sutton, and Justin Layne who are average to below average players in coverage. If the offensive line can give Josh time to throw, there are a lot of chunk plays and points to be had. 

 

Bills On Defense- Big Ben is getting up there in age (39) and hits taken as he enters his 18th season. Pittsburgh has a new offensive coordinator and scheme although Matt Canada's scheme replicates a lot of what the Steelers did in 2020 with plenty of pre-snap motion (noticeable in their preseason games) and quick passing. Last year, it appeared Ben's arm strength declined and he was less mobile/less willing to stand in the pocket, throwing shorter passes and getting the ball out in an average of 2.17 seconds (by far the fastest in the NFL). His overall stats in 2020 look good on paper, but he recorded his second-lowest passer rating against the Bills. Roethlisberger also did not perform well under pressure (another factor in their quick passing strategy I'm sure) and that's bad news because the Pittsburgh offensive line (which used to be the gold standard of the AFC not too long ago) has lost David DeCastro, Alejandro Villenueva, and Maurkice Pouncey and replaced them with inexperienced (two rookies in Kendrick Green and Dan Moore) and replacement-level (Trai Turner and Chuks Okorafor) options. PFF rankings aren't the most logical or consistent all the time, but they ranked the Steelers O-line 31st which matches the eye test in my view.

 

Najee Harris, on the other hand, looks like he could be the real deal. He's a powerful runner and an impressive receiving back who will be the focal point of this offense. Harris does an outstanding job after contact and seems to always fall forward for the extra yard. Whether he was worth the first round capital it took to get him or not while they had so many other needs is another story. The Pittsburgh WR room is deep and versatile, but lacks a true #1 guy and really struggled with drops last year. Chase Claypool is a big play threat with a lot of YAC ability. Diontae Johnson is an underrated player who makes that offense tick. That's before we even get to JuJu Smith-Schuster (of Crate Challenge fame) and James Washington who can play above the rim and are both capable of big games in their own right. Combined with co-starters Eric Ebron and second round pick Pat Freiermuth, that's a versatile arsenal of receiving weapons. However, I think our usually strong pass defense matches up well with their skill players and Pittsburgh lacks the elite speed which has hurt us in the past (see KC). The Steelers should be a better running team this year and lean on that more so I think the Bills defense needs to drop Poyer or Hyde into the box on most plays to help vs the run and then look to jump shorter routes that present day Big Ben loves. Finally, I'm watching and hoping for this 2021 Bills defense to reverse a worrying trend of poor tackling and for them to disrupt passing lanes even if they can't get to the QB. 

 

On Special Teams- McCloud handles most of the returning for Pittsburgh and actually cleaned up his ball security issues to a large degree last season. The Steelers like him a lot and extended his contract this offseason. The kicking game is in steady enough hands with Boswell although he missed his final XP and they have a new rookie punter Pressley Harvin III who performed well in preseason. 

 

Alright thanks for reading! I enjoyed putting this together and will look to do so each week moving forward. The Steelers are a well-coached veteran team with some exciting players, but the NFL is a matchup league and I think the Bills are perfectly built to take advantage of Pittsburgh's weaknesses at offensive line and defensive back. The Bills are also relatively healthy (a few bumps and bruises, but Marquez Stevenson is the only player that doesn't have a chance to play on Sunday) while Pittsburgh has suffered some key losses on both lines already in Stephon Tuitt and Zach Banner. The Highmark (not sold on this?) will be rocking and the Bills have to be confident that they can be even better than last year's team and move to 3-0 over Pittsburgh since Sean McDermott took over. 

 

Can't wait for Sunday! All the best and Go Bills!

 

Nicely done. Thanks for the effort. 

[billybrew1]

3 hours ago, First Round Bust said:

well it beats opening (and struggling) with the Jets...Pitts went 11-0 to start last season before a significant fade, so Big Ben is fresh and I expect a tough game.

 

Focus points:

 

1. IOL - I do expect blitzes, stunts and good 1:1 pressure from the inside, Ford esp has to prove he can handle, Morse will likely need help with Heyward as well.

 

2. Watt  (expected to play)- D Williams had a strong game last time - pretty much handled Watt 1:1 so we can spare double-team here for better inside support

 

3. Bills pass rush - eyes on Rousseau for impact, AND Addison played close to 60% last season, there should be some synergy between playing Addison less and getting more pressures-sacks.  Better organic pressure, less blitzing = better coverage esp middle of field and TEs...

 

4. Bills run D - does Star have impact, does Oliver continue to improve, can Milano stay healthy as undersized LB ?

 

5. Butler - if-when they decide to bring Stevenson back from IR his roster spot comes to mind first, given 3 current DT subs (Zim, Harry, Butler) behind Star and Ollie, plus Butler would be 4M in cap savings as Bills are second-from-last in cap room....

 

 

 

 

1. Hayward is a monster. I sure hope we give Morse lotsa help.

2. I hope Williams is ready and Watt isnot. (See what I did there?)

3. We probably give yards between the twenties but who knows? Maybe Leslie let's his D play playoffs style from week one? We should be able to handle this OL.

4. Imho, Vernon isn't going anywhere. We need big, strong DTs and we need a lot of them. Too much of Butler's dough is guaranteed, we aren't replacing him. Vernon is a Bill. Go Bills!

Unfortunately, I think the only way Stevenson gets up is if a WR goes down. I do not want to see that....

Stevenson.

[billybrew1]

1 hour ago, Lothar said:

Nice work overall.

I agree with you that Freiermuth is going to be where Ben focuses in the red zone - he made a couple of amazing grabs in tight spaces in the endzone during the preseason and I know they'll be targeting him. We better shade our coverage toward him as they get close.

 

"Edmunds is known for some big hits and some timely takeaways, but he is one of a few weak links in that secondary especially if you can isolate him in coverage. "

 

Not sure I agree with this statement - they are an absolute cluster in that secondary after Fitzpatrick.  Hayden used to be outstanding but is closer to just serviceable at the moment. The rest of their secondary is mostly stop gap level.  While their front seven, when healthy, is among the best in the league, their back end will not hold up to 4 and 5 wide attacks, which happens to be our strong suit.

i.e. Josh is going to throttle that secondary with Diggs, Sanders, Davis and Beasley.

 

That's four really tough matchups for ANY defense. For the Stealers? Allen is going to eat.

The Stealers only chance is to really win in that front four....If the Stealers can do that, they could upset the Bills.

[Dont Stop Billeiving]

4 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

Great evaluation.  Thank you.  I got a question for those who know better than myself.

Pitts LB Depth Chart is as follows:

 

LOLB - Watt (Backed up by Ingram)

LILB - Bush

RILB - Schobert (acquired from JAX this year and had a good career in CLE)

ROLB - Highsmith (Backed up by Ingram)

 

With Bush and Schobert they look strong in the middle.

IF Watt does not play that gives them Highsmith and Ingram on the outside.  That is a huge drop from Watt and Dupree.

I wonder if Daboll can work the edges both running (like the OP said) and passing?

 

Ingram is a great player and started out as an OLB in the Charger 3-4 but has been a RDE every since they went back to a 4-3.

(I just checked and he has been playing RDE for the last 4 years).

Does he still got the speed at his age for LOLB and is he going to play a bit out of position?

 

Then again Watt could play and this is all moot.

 

 

Thanks man, appreciate it! 

 

It's a good question...agree that Bush and Schobert form a strong ILB pair. I'm a big Highsmith believer and I think he can replace a lot of what Dupree brought (thought a lot of Dupree's sacks were of the coverage variety a la 2019 Jordan Phillips), but you're right about Ingram. He didn't flash at all in preseason to me and he only played in seven games and had zero sacks in 2020. Does he still have the athleticism and range to play in space as a LOLB at age 32? My best guess is that he doesn't. Outside of Watt and Highsmith, Pittsburgh actually has a really old defensive line.

 

Unfortunately for us as Bills fans, I think the line in bold above is how it plays out based on today's news. Fortunately for us, Darryl Williams locked up Watt pretty effectively last year. My main concern is Cam Heyward, we need to put two guys on him as much as possible. 

[qwksilver]

Thanks @Dont Stop Billeiving Love these. I'm happy to see you will continue these write ups.

 

Would have much preferred to play this team later in the year, their age would show more.

Maybe we get a bone if Watt doesn't play. Another bonus it's our home opener, fans have to be loud all 4 quarters.

 

SUNDAY can't get here fast enough!

[Utah John]

Very nice job.

 

I have a question about terminology.  Dont Stop and lots of other writers say that points are unanswered when in fact they ARE answered.  The Bills scored 23 straight points, and the Steelers answered the Bills points with a TD of their own.  

 

OK, that aside, I think the only way Rousseau doesn't get headline billing after this weekend is if Roethlisberger does nothing but three step drops and release, whether the receiver is open or not.  If Ben tries to stand in the pocket, he'll be dropped in the pocket.  The Bills weakness last year -- lack of a pass rush -- couldn't ask for a better chance to get healthy.  Most likely the Bills will try not to blitz much out of respect for Harris, but with the good front four the Bills have, blitzing won't be necessary.  

 

If the pass rush gets there, they'll need to keep Harris in to block, a big win for the Bills.  And if the Bills get up on the scoreboard, that's another way Harris becomes less important.

[Dont Stop Billeiving]

21 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Somewhat reminiscent of Lori's game week write-ups, which I miss.

Glad to hear it, thanks!

 

Those must have been before my time on this board, but yeah thought it could be a decent pre-game exercise as it weirdly helps calm my gameday jitters if I feel that I know the opponent a bit better and hopefully it's somewhat useful for others on here as well! 

[Coach Tuesday]

3 minutes ago, Dont Stop Billeiving said:

Glad to hear it, thanks!

 

Those must have been before my time on this board, but yeah thought it could be a decent pre-game exercise as it weirdly helps calm my gameday jitters if I feel that I know the opponent a bit better and hopefully it's somewhat useful for others on here as well! 

 

Keep it going, I will look forward to reading these every week!

[Dont Stop Billeiving]

21 hours ago, Lothar said:

Nice work overall.

I agree with you that Freiermuth is going to be where Ben focuses in the red zone - he made a couple of amazing grabs in tight spaces in the endzone during the preseason and I know they'll be targeting him. We better shade our coverage toward him as they get close.

 

"Edmunds is known for some big hits and some timely takeaways, but he is one of a few weak links in that secondary especially if you can isolate him in coverage. "

 

Not sure I agree with this statement - they are an absolute cluster in that secondary after Fitzpatrick.  Hayden used to be outstanding but is closer to just serviceable at the moment. The rest of their secondary is mostly stop gap level.  While their front seven, when healthy, is among the best in the league, their back end will not hold up to 4 and 5 wide attacks, which happens to be our strong suit.

Cheers! Yeah Freiermuth looked like a stud against the Lions a few weeks ago. I'd trust our guys to cover him better than Detroit did, but still I like his physicality and athleticism a lot. 

 

On the bolded part above, I think we meant the same thing on Terrell Edmunds. I don't rate him highly at all, I just felt he's gotten an overrated reputation as he's made the occasional highlight-worthy play which has covered up a lot of sub-par performances. Edmunds is at his best the closer he is to the LoS and can help in the run game, but he can't hold up in coverage. So again think we agree there, my wording made him sound better than I meant it to!

 

I think you can go right down the list and feel pretty good that our WRs #1-7 are better than every CB on the Steelers that would be lining up across from them. 

[Haplo848]

On 9/8/2021 at 9:36 AM, Dont Stop Billeiving said:

Congrats everyone, we made it through another long offseason and the games that count are finally here. Figured I would continue this series of posts for a second season if you'll indulge me. Just a quick note that this post for our Week 1 opponent will be a bit different than the usual format given that we only have the preseason to go on so far and all the changes to both teams this past offseason through free agency and the draft. 

 

To begin the 2021 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in town to face our Buffalo Bills in front of what is sure to be an incredible crowd and atmosphere (expecting some serious chills when I first hear that crowd noise on Sunday). I think the general consensus seems to be that these two teams are headed in opposite directions, but the Steelers still have some blue chip talent particularly in that defensive front seven and they are a veteran-laden team with winning/playoff experience. I have reviewed the game tape from our 2020 match up with Pittsburgh as well as the four Steelers 2021 preseason games in order to get a sense of the team we'll see on Sunday. Same as the previous weeks, I wanted to do an amateur deep dive/scouting session into the Steelers' last three games based on their game highlights (granted it's not the All-22 film but still nearly an hour of tape) and then list some keys/X-factors for our matchup this week. Anyways, hope you enjoy/find this useful:

 

***Offensive and Defensive Ranks are based on Football Outsiders' Defense-adjusted Value Over Average statistics***

https://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings  ***Not applicable yet***

 

 

Recap of the Bills' 26-15 Win against the Pittsburgh Steelers At Home on December 14, 2020:

 

- The first half was really tight and Pittsburgh looked like the better team early despite missing Joe Haden, Bud Dupree, Devin Bush, and a few others. It wasn't until Taron Johnson's pick-six at the very end of the first half that the tide started to turn. We led 9-7 at halftime.

- The Steelers got a ton of pressure on Allen early and Cam Heyward terrorized our IOL in particular. However, the line adjusted and kept Allen clean in the second half. With more time, Allen and Diggs began to pick apart the Steelers secondary as the Bills scored 23 unanswered points. 

- However, once we went up 23-7, we allowed Pittsburgh to drive straight down the field with chunk plays where they scored a TD and two point conversion in less than three minutes. One of the most frustrating drives our defense gave up all year. 

- Dawson Knox had one of his better games (he did play well to end the season) and drew a critical pass interference penalty on a deep pass that gave the Bills a first-and-goal from the two yard line. We should have scored a TD, but settled for a still important FG and a two possession lead. 

- Zack Moss had some huge carries in the fourth quarter that helped keep the chains and clock moving, running through and around defenders. A sign of what he could become if he stays healthy. 

 

Key Takeaways from Pittsburgh's Four Preseason Games:

 

August 6th- Hall of Fame Game Win against the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 16-3 in Canton, Ohio:

- Chase Claypool, Najee Harris, and some of the younger expected starters played the first quarter in this game.

- Like most NFL teams, the Steelers are in a lot of trouble if Big Ben goes down injured for any amount of time. Mason Rudolph looked shaky and dropped an early jet sweep handoff for a lost fumble. Dwayne Haskins looked sharp enough in his initial appearances, but looked completely hopeless in the loss to Carolina.

- The early signs were good last season and Alex Highsmith (a guy I liked a lot for the Bills in the 2020 draft) looks like he could make Steelers fans forget all about Bud Dupree. Has great burst and generated a lot of pressure and at least one sack from his ROLB spot. 

- Claypool and James Washington both had key third down drops that killed drives. Something to watch as Pittsburgh had one of the worst drop rates in the NFL in 2020.

- Harris has the size to run through arm tackles and the speed to get to the edge as well, he looked impressive in limited action. 

- Thought Dallas was able to use misdirection to take advantage of some over-aggressiveness by the Pitt defense really effectively. 

- I'm sure that the coverages were on the vanilla side for preseason, but the Pittsburgh secondary did not impress. Plenty of blown coverages and wide open targets for Dallas. Their starters and depth in the DB room should concern fans.

- Pittsburgh pulled away once the fourth stringers were in, but it was a low scoring defensive struggle when most roster-able players were involved. For example, it was 3-0 Cowboys with 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter and most stats favored Dallas overall.

 

August 13th- Win on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 24-16:

- Most starters played in this game with the exception of Big Ben and a couple others. 

- Pittsburgh blitzed Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco a ton, but they were generally able to escape pressure and find the open WR to move the chains. 

- Anthony McFarland flashed a few times and has looked like a key back up to Harris in the preseason. However, he's landed on the IR so Jaylen Samuels/Kalen Ballage will have to pick up the slack whenever Harris needs a breather. Benny Snell has been dealing with an injury all preseason and didn't feature until the last preseason game.

- Terrell Edmunds overran a short pass behind the LoS, then got walled off by a lineman, and Philly's rookie WR Quez Watkins made him pay with a 79 yard TD. Edmunds is known for some big hits and some timely takeaways, but he is one of a few weak links in that secondary especially if you can isolate him in coverage. 

- Justin Layne (likely their 3rd CB on Sunday) positioned himself well and picked off Nick Mullens on a slight miscommunication between QB/WR on the route. 

- Similar to the first game, Pittsburgh's opponent dominated the early parts of the game and the Steelers really only came back once the depth players were on the field. It was 13-0 Eagles with two minutes to go in the first half. The Pittsburgh third stringers then dominated the rest of the game in points, yards, and TOP.

 

August 22nd- Win at Home against the Detroit Lions by a score of 26-20:

- The starters including Roethlisberger got their longest run out in this game.

- Eric Ebron had a crushing drop on third down after Ben made a great play eluding some pressure to get the ball across the field to him. 

- Roethlisberger responded on the next drive by hitting Diontae Johnson on a 40 yard completion (the coverage was pretty terrible to be fair but the willingness to throw deep stood out). He then hit Pat Freiermuth later in the drive for the Steelers' first TD of the preseason involving their starters (they'd connect for a second TD over the top of an LB in coverage on the next drive as well). Arguments can be made about the value/draft capital they spent, but Harris and Freiermuth look like two solid building blocks for that offense. 

- Harris made a catch on a short crossing pattern and then gave a great YAC effort, eluding two defenders and tiptoeing the sideline for 25+ extra yards. 

- Melvin Ingram made no impression on me throughout his time on the field in any of these games. I thought he had more left in the tank, but I can't recall seeing him affect the QB even once. 

- Opposite of the first two games, Pittsburgh dominated while their first and second string players were in and then took their foot off the gas (20-0 Steelers at halftime). 

 

August 28th- Loss on the road against the Carolina Panthers by a score of 34-9:

- Sam Darnold looked really effective against the Steelers (19/25 for 162 yards and 2 TDs) despite facing a lot of pressure now that he has actual NFL talent around him. He spread the ball around and led Carolina to a 17-0 lead at HT. A lot of their young players and recent draft picks impressed me, they're a couple years away in a tough division, but I like what they're trying to build at Two Bills Drive South. 

- Derek Watt and old friend Ray-Ray McCloud dropped early passes with Watt's resulting in a tip drill INT for Carolina. 

- Claypool can be an effective weapon on jet sweeps and reverses, something to look out for. 

- Robert Spillane had his moment last season with all of their LB injuries, but he has looked slow to react vs the run and exposed in coverage as well. Would be trouble for Pittsburgh if he had to start for any length of time IMO.

 

 

Sunday September 12th Preview- Week 1 Pittsburgh Steelers (current record: 0-0) At The Buffalo Bills (current record: 0-0):

 

Bills On Offense- Pittsburgh's front seven is still the strength of this team. I expect them to get pressure on Allen and make running inside the tackles a difficult proposition. Devin Bush and Alex Highsmith are promising young players who I think could break out in 2021. However, there are questions going into Week 1 with TJ Watt's holdout (I expect him to play, but will his non-contact preseason have an effect on his fitness/performance?) and Stephon Tuitt's absence due to injury. Bud Dupree is gone replaced by Melvin Ingram. Cam Heyward is still one of the most underrated players in the entire league IMO and Tyson Alualu is an outstanding run defender, but they are 32 and 34 respectively. The Steelers run defense faltered down the stretch last year and I think we could see the Bills attack the edges (hopefully Breida is active and gets a few snaps to use his speed this week). Their obvious weakness on paper appears to be the secondary. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a ballhawk, but I thought he benefitted from turnover luck last season and we neutralized him in last year's matchup. Joe Haden is back (although he's 32 and reportedly unhappy about his contract) and he's a solid CB1, but I don't believe he can hang with Stefon Diggs. Then right down the line, the Bills should have the matchups to exploit with Sanders, Beasley, and Davis against Terrell Edmunds, Cam Sutton, and Justin Layne who are average to below average players in coverage. If the offensive line can give Josh time to throw, there are a lot of chunk plays and points to be had. 

 

Bills On Defense- Big Ben is getting up there in age (39) and hits taken as he enters his 18th season. Pittsburgh has a new offensive coordinator and scheme although Matt Canada's scheme replicates a lot of what the Steelers did in 2020 with plenty of pre-snap motion (noticeable in their preseason games) and quick passing. Last year, it appeared Ben's arm strength declined and he was less mobile/less willing to stand in the pocket, throwing shorter passes and getting the ball out in an average of 2.17 seconds (by far the fastest in the NFL). His overall stats in 2020 look good on paper, but he recorded his second-lowest passer rating against the Bills. Roethlisberger also did not perform well under pressure (another factor in their quick passing strategy I'm sure) and that's bad news because the Pittsburgh offensive line (which used to be the gold standard of the AFC not too long ago) has lost David DeCastro, Alejandro Villenueva, and Maurkice Pouncey and replaced them with inexperienced (two rookies in Kendrick Green and Dan Moore) and replacement-level (Trai Turner and Chuks Okorafor) options. PFF rankings aren't the most logical or consistent all the time, but they ranked the Steelers O-line 31st which matches the eye test in my view.

 

Najee Harris, on the other hand, looks like he could be the real deal. He's a powerful runner and an impressive receiving back who will be the focal point of this offense. Harris does an outstanding job after contact and seems to always fall forward for the extra yard. Whether he was worth the first round capital it took to get him or not while they had so many other needs is another story. The Pittsburgh WR room is deep and versatile, but lacks a true #1 guy and really struggled with drops last year. Chase Claypool is a big play threat with a lot of YAC ability. Diontae Johnson is an underrated player who makes that offense tick. That's before we even get to JuJu Smith-Schuster (of Crate Challenge fame) and James Washington who can play above the rim and are both capable of big games in their own right. Combined with co-starters Eric Ebron and second round pick Pat Freiermuth, that's a versatile arsenal of receiving weapons. However, I think our usually strong pass defense matches up well with their skill players and Pittsburgh lacks the elite speed which has hurt us in the past (see KC). The Steelers should be a better running team this year and lean on that more so I think the Bills defense needs to drop Poyer or Hyde into the box on most plays to help vs the run and then look to jump shorter routes that present day Big Ben loves. Finally, I'm watching and hoping for this 2021 Bills defense to reverse a worrying trend of poor tackling and for them to disrupt passing lanes even if they can't get to the QB. 

 

On Special Teams- McCloud handles most of the returning for Pittsburgh and actually cleaned up his ball security issues to a large degree last season. The Steelers like him a lot and extended his contract this offseason. The kicking game is in steady enough hands with Boswell although he missed his final XP and they have a new rookie punter Pressley Harvin III who performed well in preseason. 

 

Alright thanks for reading! I enjoyed putting this together and will look to do so each week moving forward. The Steelers are a well-coached veteran team with some exciting players, but the NFL is a matchup league and I think the Bills are perfectly built to take advantage of Pittsburgh's weaknesses at offensive line and defensive back. The Bills are also relatively healthy (a few bumps and bruises, but Marquez Stevenson is the only player that doesn't have a chance to play on Sunday) while Pittsburgh has suffered some key losses on both lines already in Stephon Tuitt and Zach Banner. The Highmark (not sold on this?) will be rocking and the Bills have to be confident that they can be even better than last year's team and move to 3-0 over Pittsburgh since Sean McDermott took over. 

 

Can't wait for Sunday! All the best and Go Bills!

 

 

Great thread, and thanks for doing this!

 

With regards to my highlights in your OP, it's hard to be a worse running team then they ended up being last year.  But my question is, exactly how much do we have to worry about that?  You mentioned yourself that their offensive line was, well, offensive.  Even if Harris is as good as advertised, it's still difficult to do anything if defenders are in your face before you even receive the handoff.  Just ask Singletary and Moss.  

 

Edited September 9, 2021 by Haplo848

[richardb1952]

Nice write-up. Thanks.

Edited September 10, 2021 by richardb1952