The Bills are familiar with the Steelers. As Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen said on Tuesday, he’s expecting another “boxing match” this Sunday when Pittsburgh heads to Orchard Park to open the season.
Speaking of Allen, during media video calls, the quarterback and Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott ended up highlighting two individual players from the Steelers defense that they’ll be keeping an extra eye on. Both come as little surprise.
Starting with Allen, as a thrower of the ball, the name Minkah Fitzpatrick was brought up by him. Allen called the defensive back one of the best in the biz.
“He’s a ballhawk,” Allen said. “He just switches up his style every couple plays, you don’t know if he’s dropping into the box or if he’s trying to play over the top on something. He’s always around the ball, whether it’s a fumble that’s forced by one of their other guys that just seems like it’s popping right up into his chest. When the ball is in the air he has as good of ball skills as anyone in the league.”
“He’s one of those guys that can wreck a game plan,” Allen added.
For McDermott, his eye was on the trenches. All-Pro TJ Watt needs little introduction and that’s enough explanation as to why the pass rusher might be keeping McDermott up at night.
“We know he’s an elite player… an elite player at his position, one of the best defensive players in our league. He wreaks havoc on game plans. You always have to know where he is,” McDermott said.
Adding a layer into Watt potentially being a headache for the Bills offense is his status this week. Watt is considering to be a slight holdout for the Steelers.
Watt has never entirely sat out of workouts this offseason in the traditional sense. However, he’s only doing individual work during Steelers practices and Watt is doing so to send a statement to the team: He wants a new contract.
Watt has done that all throughout training camp and this offseason. Some figured by now he’d be participating in team drills.
Since he’s not, now speculation has shifted to Watt becoming a full holdout on game day.
While that answer still isn’t clear, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin did express optimism on Tuesday when asked about Watt playing vs. the Bills.
That alone should, rightfully so, have the Bills a bit worried.
But it’s not anything Buffalo can’t handle The Bills are 2-0 vs. Watt, Fitzpatrick, and the Steelers in the past two seasons, respectively.
[lawrence-related id=86877,86860,86702]