Steelers @ Bills. Monday, January 15th at 4:30pm.

[Beast]

26 minutes ago, MikePJ76 said:

That was an early october game

That’s why I said it was not cold.

[WideNine]

15 hours ago, Georgia Bill said:

Honestly I only care if it's clean and disciplined enough to win.  Ugly wins, I'll take 'em too.

 

The way we knifed through Miami's defense only to crap ourselves in the red zone...has become a bit of a trend.

 

I feel like too much changes down there, we take longer getting plays in, and we play a bit more on our heels. We need some good RedZone work this week and execution on our go-to plays.

 

The talking heads stress the INTs, but miss that Knox was obviously held on one possession, that pass to Cook that he dropped was so money, and Allen was half a second off from pulling the trigger and leading Ty Johnson in a way where I feel he gets in before the half.

 

They are really close and I think Allen is getting some of that swagger and confidence back that was causing him to delay throws a bit or turn down throws.

 

Been a while since he was himself and that is good to see. You could see the ball was coming out really good even when having to throw from odd platforms eluding the rush.

 

Other than that it was just having better execution and having some blitz beaters down there, some better blocking from our RB (asking Cook to pick up blitzers is hit or miss so maybe more Fournette down there) or go heavy max protect if you think plays are going to take time developing.

 

 

 

[RichRiderBills]

8 minutes ago, zow2 said:

 

I live like 45 mins from Baltimore and I can honestly say, the weather that Pittsburgh beat Baltimore's backups in last Sat night was the absolute worst.  Just a really cold steady soaking rain and a decent wind.

 

I was surprised w Baltimore game plan to throw and basically play normal. Led to turnovers and drops, when they could have run and ran Huntley. IMO they would have won easily. Especially surprised when that would have shortened the game and got everyone out healthier. 

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

My ludicrous roster/personnel usage take of the day, which will make you say "Logic's an idiot":

I think Leonard Fournette should get an equal snap (and usage) share with Cook. Perhaps even be the primary ball carrier.

Cook has fumbled (or nearly fumbled) just enough to make me a bit nervous about the wet/snowy conditions this Sunday, plus he hasn't been super effective running the ball as of late.

Cook has fumbled four times this season across 237 carries, which equates to one fumble per 59 carries.

Fournette, meanwhile, has fumbled four times in his entire CAREER, spanning 1,144 carries, which equates to one fumble per 286 carries.

Fournette also has that "I don't wanna tackle this dude on a 19 degree night" build and power.

Give me more Playoff Lenny and less Cook this week.

I don't think you're crazy, for the highlighted reason moreso thank Cook's fumbling.

 

Cook got stonewalled a few times vs the Phins. Not badly, but you could see him struggling to get to a lane and those sweeps to the left of the formation just were not working. With field conditions looking potentially rough, we might need power more than finesse. I love what Cook has been doing, but I am expecting heavier sets, and more balance to Fournette suits me fine.

[theAteam]

35 minutes ago, Success said:

Until the last few weeks, I thought the Steelers were 100% frauds.  There is something to be said for eeking out wins in close games, so I have to give them credit for that - but they were one of the luckiest teams in the league to be in the position they were heading into the final weeks.

 

Since they began starting Rudolph, they've looked like a different team.  That concerns me much more than some wind.  But I still think they're the best draw in the AFC, and a team we should beat 8x out of 10.

 

 

I still think they are frauds. Fluke win after fluke win mainly on the back of TJ Watt who is out for this game.

 

I do think they'll come out swinging and absolutely will try to out-muscle the Bills to start the game, but if we just can put together a clean game it shouldn't even be close, weather notwithstanding.

[Success]

I'm anticipating the conditions to be like the Ravens playoff game.

 

That was tough wind - but nothing like the Pats game.  We could still pass, but some long ones were sailing, and we missed 2 field goals.

 

The run game & run defense will both have to be on point.

 

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

13 minutes ago, zow2 said:

 

I live like 45 mins from Baltimore and I can honestly say, the weather that Pittsburgh beat Baltimore's backups in last Sat night was the absolute worst.  Just a really cold steady soaking rain and a decent wind.

I couldn't watch but I was getting updates and I live a few hours north of Baltimore so we started getting what they had all game. I think the Ravens backups said "hey, we showed our stuff, this game isn't worth anything let's get out of here"

[DCOrange]

15 minutes ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

See that's my other issue. He was a major asset to Brady in Tampa out of the backfield.

He's generally been a pretty poor receiver out of the backfield. He was legitimately good in that regard in his last season with Tampa, but other than that, he's usually near the top of the league in drops (not limiting it to just RBs either) and isn't particularly effective when he does catch it. Cook is a far better receiving option. Both suck in terms of pass blocking but Fournette is definitely better in that regard.

 

The point someone else made about ball security is definitely worth considering though. Cook is getting to the point where I'm legitimately nervous any time he's in traffic that he's going to cough it up. It obviously doesn't happen THAT often, but even when he isn't fumbling the ball, you can see a few times throughout the game where it looks like he bobbles the ball for a moment and regains it. He is simply a way more dynamic playmaker than Fournette though.

Edited January 10 by DCOrange

[mbowman14]

Just now, WideNine said:

 

The way we knifed through Miami's defense only to crap ourselves in the red zone...has become a bit of a trend.

 

I feel like too much changes down there, we take longer getting plays in, and we play a bit more on our heels. We need some good RedZone work this week and execution on our go-to plays.

 

The talking heads stress the INTs, but miss that Knox was obviously held on one possession, that pass to Cook that he dropped was so money, and Allen was half a second off from pulling the trigger and leading Ty Johnson in a way where I feel he gets in before the half.

 

They are really close and I think Allen is getting some of that swagger and confidence back that was causing him to delay throws a bit or turn down throws.

 

Been a while since he was himself and that is good to see. You could see the ball was coming out really good even when having to throw from odd platforms eluding the rush.

 

Other than that it was just having better execution and having some blitz beaters down there, some better blocking from our RB (asking Cook to pick up blitzers is hit or miss so maybe more Fournette down there) or go heavy max protect if you think plays are going to take time developing.

 

 

 

Exactly this...The TD throw to Knox in the 4th qtr illustrated that confidence and trust which rather apparently re-appeared in the 2nd half. 

-In the 1st half, 1st drive he had Gilliam open on a flat route for a TD immediately but didn't let it rip and held the ball longer on the play. This was the non-call PI on Knox.

-On 4th down on the 2nd drive he had Kincaid right away on a flat route for the 1st down but held it and ended up throwing the "Punt" Int that Davis was injured on.

-The TD throw to Knox in the 4th qtr was decisive and immediate. 

He needs to trust his instincts and let it rip...not default back to play-making mode as much which I think he tends to do when he doubts his decision making and eyes. 

[BillsFooteball]

35 pages in and there are more posts about weather then Steelers matchup. Think that is very telling 

[boyst]

It's 44° and 15 mph with sun / wind and I'm cold out in my walk

I'm ***** for this weekend. 

Edited January 10 by boyst

[Patrick Duffy]

11 minutes ago, Success said:

Until the last few weeks, I thought the Steelers were 100% frauds.  There is something to be said for eeking out wins in close games, so I have to give them credit for that - but they were one of the luckiest teams in the league to be in the position they were heading into the final weeks.

 

Since they began starting Rudolph, they've looked like a different team.  That concerns me much more than some wind.  But I still think they're the best draw in the AFC, and a team we should beat 8x out of 10.

 

 

I agree with you here, but although they have improved on offense those couple of games with Rudolph at QB, it's still just 2 games and he had a little bit of a harder time against the Ravens back ups only scoring 17 points on offense. He basically was average (besides that rare 1 slant pass that goes for a TD). 

 

[SCBills]

13 minutes ago, BillsFooteball said:

35 pages in and there are more posts about weather then Steelers matchup. Think that is very telling 

 

Very much so. 

 

In a controlled environment (dome), we would boat race this Steelers team.  

 

The main concern is extreme weather leveling the playing field. 

 

We have the best QB to play in this weather, but as we saw in the NE wind game - which was far more insane than Sunday will be - Josh Allen can throw down the field in high winds, but the receivers have to be able to catch it.  In that game, the slight movement of passes down the field resulted in drops that Allen put on them due to the wind.  

 

I'm not worried about Allen being able to provide us a legit passing attack in 20-30 mph cold wind.  I'm worried about the passing game being able to function to a level we need in order to avoid this being a slop fest where a missed gap/big run, Warren screen pass for big yardage or Pickens quick slant to the house makes it dicey. 

 

 

Edited January 10 by SCBills

[Stank_Nasty]

I NEED this game more than most playoff games. Living in Northwest PA, i've had to deal with that fanbase for the entirety of my 38 years. EASILY the most self righteous fanbase i've ever encountered having traveled to multiple cities and stadiums through the years. They act as though the franchise and they themselves are gracing the NFL with their presence.... I'm not joking when i say about 90% of them are EXPECTING to win this game. They WILL NOT accept that they have been entrenched in the middle class of the nfl for 3 or 4 years now. i have multiple bets out with these schmucks about who is gonna win this game. They arent even asking for the vegas points. They just assume Allen is gonna give them 3 to's and theres apparently no way Rudolph turns back into a pumpkin. 

 

...... I wont be able to leave my house for weeks if this goes south. 

5 minutes ago, Patrick Duffy said:

 

I agree with you here, but although they have improved on offense those couple of games with Rudolph at QB, it's still just 2 games and he had a little bit of a harder time against the Ravens back ups only scoring 17 points on offense. He basically was average (besides that rare 1 slant pass that goes for a TD). 

 

Weather is the ultimate equalizer.... the wind is my one cause for pause this week.

[BillsFan619]

5 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said:

I NEED this game more than most playoff games. Living in Northwest PA, i've had to deal with that fanbase for the entirety of my 38 years. EASILY the most self righteous fanbase i've ever encountered having traveled to multiple cities and stadiums through the years. They act as though the franchise and they themselves are gracing the NFL with their presence.... I'm not joking when i say about 90% of them are EXPECTING to win this game. They WILL NOT accept that they have been entrenched in the middle class of the nfl for 3 or 4 years now. i have multiple bets out with these schmucks about who is gonna win this game. They arent even asking for the vegas points. They just assume Allen is gonna give them 3 to's and theres apparently no way Rudolph turns back into a pumpkin. 

 

...... I wont be able to leave my house for weeks if this goes south. 

Weather is the ultimate equalizer.... the wind is my one cause for pause this week.

Before I moved to San Diego, I lived about 20 miles east of Pittsburgh.

 

The Steeler fanbase is the reason I dislike the Steelers more than most teams.

 

Go Bills!

Edited January 10 by BillsFan619

[KCNC]

23 minutes ago, BillsFooteball said:

35 pages in and there are more posts about weather then Steelers matchup. Think that is very telling 

That's because weather can be a great equalizer.  Put Bills/Stillers on a clear calm day and the Bills win 10/10.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

5 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said:

I NEED this game more than most playoff games. Living in Northwest PA, i've had to deal with that fanbase for the entirety of my 38 years. EASILY the most self righteous fanbase i've ever encountered having traveled to multiple cities and stadiums through the years. They act as though the franchise and they themselves are gracing the NFL with their presence.... I'm not joking when i say about 90% of them are EXPECTING to win this game. They WILL NOT accept that they have been entrenched in the middle class of the nfl for 3 or 4 years now. i have multiple bets out with these schmucks about who is gonna win this game. They arent even asking for the vegas points. They just assume Allen is gonna give them 3 to's and theres apparently no way Rudolph turns back into a pumpkin. 

 

...... I wont be able to leave my house for weeks if this goes south. 

Weather is the ultimate equalizer.... the wind is my one cause for pause this week.

I will take Allen's arm in the wind over popgun Rudolph's any day.

I care more about freezing rain. Josh has his issues holding onto the ball. Rain is the greater equalizer. However it might be too cold for moisture to be an issue.

[RyanC883]

2 minutes ago, BillsFan619 said:

Before I moved to San Diego, I lived about 20 miles east of Pittsburgh.

 

The Steeler fanbase is the reason I dislike the Steelers more than most teams.

 

Go Bills!

 

I live in Pgh suburb. My kids wear Bills gear to school (interestingly so do other kids).  Really hope Bills win!!!   

Edited January 10 by RyanC883

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

 

 

[Toledo Bill]

1 hour ago, zow2 said:

Michael Irvin and Richard Sherman on their show with Skip think the Bills are a flimsy #2 seed and Pittsburgh will be super physical and punch us in the mouth.  I guess that means the Bills D and Oline won't be physical and will get pushed around all game.  Okay.

These are not the old “soft lines” of past years. Jones in the middle of the D Line and an improved offensive line should make us a lot tougher.

loved an earlier post that called Spencer Brown our “Rob Ray”.

 

 

 

49 minutes ago, QB Bills said:

Certainly hope so. James Cook is a season killer with his boneheaded mistakes.

Shades of Ronnie Harmon 

[PBF81]

Cook for us and Warren for Pitt both have ball security issues.  Then of course Allen's INTs.  

 

Given the likelihood of lots of running and therefore longer drives and therefore fewer drives, this game can easily come down to whichever team makes the fewest TOs.  

 

The waiting is the hardest part.  

 

 

[Scott7975]

3 hours ago, Mynamemike said:

 

 

 

I've never watched an episode of Hard Knocks before.  I was going to watch a little bit of it and said no way am I watching this for almost an hour.  I couldn't stop watching and ended up watching the entire thing lol.  It actually is an interesting program.  I especially liked all the field view footage of the game.  From broadcast angles you don't actually realize the speed of everything on the field but this view is a whole new perspective of how fast those guys are really flying around out there.

[Mango]

2 hours ago, RiotAct said:

lol - is Josh concussed?  Oh no

 

I don't know if anybody else has noticed this, but it feels like Allen has gotten more folksy as he has aged, which is weird. Like he left Laramie and Firebaugh to live in Buffalo and Orange County, California only to sound like he has been breaking records on the family cantaloupe farm. 

 

I caught that too though. I think he is just trying to tell Tua that they have a good team, and see you here means on "the field" not "this field".

[newcam2012]

7 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

Cook for us and Warren for Pitt both have ball security issues.  Then of course Allen's INTs.  

 

Given the likelihood of lots of running and therefore longer drives and therefore fewer drives, this game can easily come down to whichever team makes the fewest TOs.  

 

The waiting is the hardest part.  

 

I'm a bit concerned about the possible game script. If the weather is quite poor; meaning cold, very windy, and snowing this could severely impact the Bills passing game. I think this negates are huge advantage for the Bills. 

 

I myself don't want the Bills to get into a possession type run game scenario and game script with Pitt. That's exactly their strength. There's much less room for error here. 

 

I'd rather have the Bills march down the field with a quick striking passing game. Utilizing Cook, Shakir, Kincaid, and Diggs. Get some big chunk plays and mix in the run. Go up two scores and force Pitt to pass more. Perhaps they will be able to still accomplish this. 

 

I hate the fact that weather be reduce the Bills chances of winning. 

 

Side note. A 10 point spread is ridiculously high. Take the points and cash your tickets. 

[Scott7975]

2 hours ago, Logic said:

My ludicrous roster/personnel usage take of the day, which will make you say "Logic's an idiot":

I think Leonard Fournette should get an equal snap (and usage) share with Cook. Perhaps even be the primary ball carrier.

Cook has fumbled (or nearly fumbled) just enough to make me a bit nervous about the wet/snowy conditions this Sunday, plus he hasn't been super effective running the ball as of late.

Cook has fumbled four times this season across 237 carries, which equates to one fumble per 59 carries.

Fournette, meanwhile, has fumbled four times in his entire CAREER, spanning 1,144 carries, which equates to one fumble per 286 carries.

Fournette also has that "I don't wanna tackle this dude on a 19 degree night" build and power.

Give me more Playoff Lenny and less Cook this week.

 

Yeah, I am going to cringe everytime Cook gets the ball.  Pittsburg is good at causing fumbles and Cook has hands problems.

[Riverboat Ritchie]

4 minutes ago, newcam2012 said:

I'm a bit concerned about the possible game script. If the weather is quite poor; meaning cold, very windy, and snowing this could severely impact the Bills passing game. I think this negates are huge advantage for the Bills. 

 

I myself don't want the Bills to get into a possession type run game scenario and game script with Pitt. That's exactly their strength. There's much less room for error here. 

 

I'd rather have the Bills march down the field with a quick striking passing game. Utilizing Cook, Shakir, Kincaid, and Diggs. Get some big chunk plays and mix in the run. Go up two scores and force Pitt to pass more. Perhaps they will be able to still accomplish this. 

 

I hate the fact that weather be reduce the Bills chances of winning. 

 

Side note. A 10 point spread is ridiculously high. Take the points and cash your tickets. 

Really hope for a quick start. If we can grab lead and Mason has to pass, then I think we will be fine but agree 10 seems way to high. 

[Scott7975]

1 hour ago, zow2 said:

Michael Irvin and Richard Sherman on their show with Skip think the Bills are a flimsy #2 seed and Pittsburgh will be super physical and punch us in the mouth.  I guess that means the Bills D and Oline won't be physical and will get pushed around all game.  Okay.

 

Well I disagree with them. I think this is the most physical this team has played in the McD regime.  They punch people in the mouth.

[Patrick Duffy]

Just now, Scott7975 said:

 

Yeah, I am going to cringe everytime Cook gets the ball.  Pittsburg is good at causing fumbles and Cook has hands problems.

Agreed. There was a rumor that Cook has great hands and catches really well. 

[PBF81]

11 minutes ago, newcam2012 said:

I'm a bit concerned about the possible game script. If the weather is quite poor; meaning cold, very windy, and snowing this could severely impact the Bills passing game. I think this negates are huge advantage for the Bills. 

 

I myself don't want the Bills to get into a possession type run game scenario and game script with Pitt. That's exactly their strength. There's much less room for error here. 

 

I'd rather have the Bills march down the field with a quick striking passing game. Utilizing Cook, Shakir, Kincaid, and Diggs. Get some big chunk plays and mix in the run. Go up two scores and force Pitt to pass more. Perhaps they will be able to still accomplish this. 

 

I hate the fact that weather be reduce the Bills chances of winning. 

 

Side note. A 10 point spread is ridiculously high. Take the points and cash your tickets. 

 

Who cares about the spread, that a pop-culture money thing that's based upon perceptions, which are often rooted in extreme superficialities.  That's why Vegas makes money hand over fist.  Has nothing to do with reality.  Someone good at wagering can figure out where the "deals" are.  

 

Honestly, much depends upon Allen, and since his play is such a wild-card in the generic sense of the word, it's difficult to know what to expect.  

 

I'll go ahead and say the quiet part out loud here, but if anything, our handicap in the playoffs has been McD & Co.  We're a better team.  If they cannot figure out how to tweak that in homefield advantage, with rabid fans, then that's on them.  He has yet to beat a 4th or better seed in the playoffs.  

 

Hopefully this is the season where he shatters that paradigm.  

 

If not, LOL, this place is going to be a colossal hoot for months.  

 

Coaching for this game is key and it seemingly favors Tomlin.  ... at least until further notice.  

 

 

Edited January 10 by PBF81

[Straight Hucklebuck]

1 hour ago, Maynard said:

WR Gabe Davis (knee), CB Rasul Douglas (knee), S Taylor Rapp (calf) and LB Tyrel Dodson (shoulder) will not practice today and are day-to-day moving forward throughout the week, according to McDermott.

Yeah, when you listen to the press conference, McDermott didn't offer the day-to-day tag, it was the reporter who said something like so they're in the day to day bucket and he said yeah. 

 

So interesting the wording compared to the report from @HappyDays

[Patrick Duffy]

1 minute ago, Scott7975 said:

 

Well I disagree with them. I think this is the most physical this team has played in the McD regime.  They punch people in the mouth.

 

Yeah definitely.....honestly with the injuries it's been a bit of a surprise.

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

55 minutes ago, BillsFooteball said:

35 pages in and there are more posts about weather then Steelers matchup. Think that is very telling 

Mostly because we think it's more of a challenge than the Steelers.

[Marcus Aurelius]

7 minutes ago, Patrick Duffy said:

Agreed. There was a rumor that Cook has great hands and catches really well. 

 

He keeps this sh.t up and he's going to be on the outside looking in ...

[Gman10]

10 minutes ago, WhitewalkerInPhilly said:

Mostly because we think it's more of a challenge than the Steelers.

Short throws and some runs. Lets see what happens

[Low Positive]

7 minutes ago, Scott7975 said:

 

Yeah, I am going to cringe everytime Cook gets the ball.  Pittsburg is good at causing fumbles and Cook has hands problems.

Lets put some actual numbers to all of this. In terms of causing TOs, the Bills and Steelers have had very similar years. The Steelers have forced 5 more fumbles this year, but the Bills recovered one more fumble than them. The Bills had two more INTS than Pittsburgh. The Bills had 7 more sacks than the Steelers. The Bills D was better in both passing and rushing yards per game. They are about equal on PPG. So, the Steelers have a good D but this is not a situation where the BIlls are playing a defense that is clearly stronger. That won't be the case against the Chiefs or Ravens, BTW. On offense, the Steelers only two dominant rushing performances came in the last two weeks against the Seahawks who have the second-worst rushing D in the NFL, and the Ravens' second and third-string players. By the end of that game, all the Ravens ST guys were playing defense. The Bills could lose this game, but there is nothing in the stats that indicates that the Steelers have any advantage in any area. I think that some people see those uniforms and expect Jerome Bettis to come marching out there. That is not the case. OTOH, the Bills rank 8th in passing yards per game while the Steelers rank 25. I know that it's been better with Rudolph (still never over 300 yards) and that the wind might negate that, but it still is a huge advantage.

[BeavercreekBillsFan]

2 hours ago, DeltaDigital said:

lol like week 3? idk. this is going to be a LOT closer than people think, I fear. 

Yeah a 10 point spread in this weather is insane. I’m hammering the Steelers +10. This is coming down to the wire. 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

2 hours ago, zow2 said:

Michael Irvin and Richard Sherman on their show with Skip think the Bills are a flimsy #2 seed and Pittsburgh will be super physical and punch us in the mouth.  I guess that means the Bills D and Oline won't be physical and will get pushed around all game.  Okay.

Pits oline is pretty bad…these are weird takes.  It’s like they’re hung up on what these franchises are usually known for over how they’ve been playing this year.  The bills have been much better in the trenches in both sides of the ball compared to years past 

 

their dline is pretty bad too without watt 

Edited January 10 by Generic_Bills_Fan

[JustAnotherBillsFan]

I would like to see Fournette get more touches as well. The problem with "letting James cook" is that he seems to get butter on his fingers too often.  😀

[Low Positive]

3 minutes ago, Generic_Bills_Fan said:

Pits oline is pretty bad…these are weird takes.  It’s like they’re hung up on what these franchises are usually known for over how they’ve been playing this year.  The bills have been much better in the trenches in both sides of the ball compared to years past 

 

their dline is pretty bad too without watt 

EXACTLY! People see Steelers helmets and expect certain things. Just as an aside, do people here know that the BIlls have given up the fewest number of sacks in the league this year?

[bills742]