It’s time once again to go behind enemy lines and get the inside scoop on this week’s Pittsburgh Steelers opponent. We talk to our friends at Bills Wire and they offered some insight into how the Bills have been able to go 9-4 to this point and how he thinks they match up with the Steelers.
1-What do you attribute the improvement of Josh Allen to?
Of course we’re not behind closed doors, but it seems like Allen really put the work in this offseason. Where he really needed to improve is his accuracy. He was a 52 percent passer last season and he’s been around and most above 60 percent most of this year. His deep ball is still a struggle, though. The Bills could have pulled off an upset of the Ravens if Allen connected on a few early deep balls last week. He had guys, missed them, and he knows it. But all the other passes Allen’s hit consistently this year. This dual-threat ability with his legs is also impressive. He doesn’t get the Lamar attention because it’s not as sexy, but you can count on 3-4 drives being extended on Sunday because of Allen’s legs.
Several Steelers’ starters are out this week against the Bills.
The Pittsburgh Steelers had their all-important Friday practice, which is the workout that generates the team’s game status report. Several starters were up in the air for this week’s game with the Buffalo Bills and for them, the news isn’t great.
Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight end Vance McDonald have both been ruled out for Sunday night’s game. Smith-Schuster will miss his fourth game in a row as he continues to deal with a knee injury. McDonald suffered a concussion last week and remains in the protocol.
Running back James Conner is listed as questionable but we feel like this is just code for Conner not playing again. With Jaylen Samuels healthy there’s really no urgency to push Conner back onto to the field.
With McDonald out, it’s going to be up to Nick Vannett and Zach Gentry to fill out the tight end depth chart. Let’s be honest, no one was throwing to the tight ends before McDonald got hurt so that won’t change now.
It looks like no JuJu Smith-Schuster again this week.
Steelers’ WR JuJu Smith-Schuster now Is not expected to play Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills after he aggravated his knee injury during practice on Thursday, per source.
It looks like it’s going to be another week without wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith-Schuster had returned to practice this week in preparation for the Buffalo Bills but according to ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter, Smith-Schuster aggravated his knee injury and isn’t expected to play Sunday night.
This entire has season has been a disappointment for Smith-Schuster. He was supposed to be the guy to replace Antonio Brown but things have not gone according to plan. He lost his quarterback in the second week of the season and failed to step up and elevate the play of those around him.
With Smith-Schuster looking to miss his fourth straight game it will once again be some combination of James Washington, Diontae Johnson and Deon Cain providing targets for Devlin Hodges.
Thursday’s Pittsburgh Steelers practice was eventful. The team saw the return of running back Jaylen Samuels as a full participant and tight end Vance McDonald returned but was limited. Samuels has been dealing with a groin injury but could play Sunday. McDonald is still in the concussion protocol so his availability is more up in the air.
Pittsburgh also saw another full participation day from running back James Conner. But keep in mind we saw this before as Conner continues to struggle with his shoulder injury. He came back too soon, re-injured it and has been out ever since. If I’m the Steelers coaches, I don’t count on Conner to be 100 percent.
One guy who was limited on Thursday was wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. He’s struggled to get back from his knee injury. Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner spoke after practice and seemed optimistic despite Smith-Schuster being limited.
“I hope so. He’s been giving great effort in trying to get back. I hope it for him,” Fichtner said. “I don’t think those determinations get made until later in the week, so I’m just excited about him being out here. He has all the enthusiasm and energy and want-to.”
The Steelers offense has taken strides since Devlin Hodges took over at quarterback. As much as we’d love to see Conner and Smith-Schuster back, there’s no need to rush when things are going well and both could be needed later on.
Cast your vote for which Buffalo player you want this week.
Every week we think about which member of the Pittsburgh Steelers opponent we’d like to poach for the week. This week we dug into the roster of the Buffalo Bills to see which guy we’d love to have for this week’s game. It’s tough because these two teams are mirror images of each other. Both teams have smothering defenses and both offenses struggle.
But here are our options for this week.
[polldaddy poll=10477099]
This one is wide open. Personally, put me down for one of those Bills interior defensive linemen. Jordan Phillips and Ed Oliver are a handful for any offensive line and with Stephon Tuitt out, I’d take either of those guys to fill in the spot.
Offensively I’m sure a lot of you will vote for QB Josh Allen. That’s fine but let’s not act like he’s having a huge season. As a former first-round pick he’s doing just enough to manage the Bills offense.
Cast your vote and tell us which member of the Bills you want on the Steelers this week.
This week we take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills a little differently. These are two teams who play very similar styles on both sides of the football and win with stout defense and efficient offense.
This time around we are going to break down the tale of the tape and talk about which team is better at each positional unit. And here’s a spoiler, most of these were very close. This game promises to be physical and close based on a deep dive into the rosters.
Here’s everything you need so you don’t miss this week’s Steelers game.
Here is everything you need to know so you can watch, listen to or stream this week’s Pittsburgh Steelers game. It’s the final home game of the season for Pittsburgh as they go on the road for the last two weeks of the season. This means it is imperative the Steelers use that home-field advantage to finish off the Buffalo Bills and stay in the mix for a playoff spot in the AFC. This is a prime time affair which the Steelers love so you won’t want to miss it.
You can also follow the game with us @TheSteelersWire and of course here on Steelers Wire with our live updates during the game, along with highlights of all the key moments from this week’s game. Join us straight after the final whistle for more in-depth coverage, injury updates, and analysis of all the action.
Here’s our comprehensive guide for this week’s game.
Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Steeler Nation doesn’t just reside in the surrounding areas of Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. It is a world-wide army that lives and dies with the team that calls Pittsburgh it’s home. This is the preview that all fans of the black and gold come to find everything they need to know about the Steelers and their upcoming opponent! Mike Drakulich (@PghSportsNation) of Steelers Wire brings you inside the huddle for both teams, providing a weekly game story, the Steelers keys to winning, score prediction, fantasy football advice, game day information, a detailed breakdown of each team, including individual stats, team stats, and team injury reports. Heck, you’ll even know the weather at kickoff. The only thing you’re missing is a game uniform.
5th seed on the line vs Bills in a Sunday Night extravaganza at Heinz Field
After all the blood, sweat, and tears spent battling back from an 0-3 start to the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally have a payoff within grasp in their battles against unbelievable adversity.
When the Steelers (8-5) take the field Sunday night vs the Buffalo Bills (9-5), not only is a playoff spot on the line but so is the #5 seed in the AFC Playoffs, as a win vs the Bills would vault Pittsburgh over Buffalo and give them a tie-breaker advantage to boot.
It will be a raucous crowd at Heinz Field as Steeler Nation will be pumped to roar their team to victory under the lights of Sunday Night Football on NBC.
The never-ending revolving door of injuries for the Steelers may see a return of a few starters, and the absence of a few others.
James Conner practiced fully the past two days, but Juju Smith Schuster was limited on Thursday after going full go a day before.
Both would be welcomed back with open arms, as both have unique abilities that would aid an offense that needs every weapon that they can muster.
Jaylen Samuels and Vance McDonald are hopeful to play as of Thursday night, but only time will tell. Samuels is battling a groin injury and practiced fully Thursday, but McDonald is still in the NFL’s concussion protocol and had a limited practice.
The Steelers defense will be leading the way again on Sunday, and have every intention of making Bill’s QB Josh Allen’s life as miserable as possible.
The Steelers have recorded 48 sacks and 43 takeaways in 2019.
Allen, as gifted as he is running the ball out of the pocket, has trouble holding on to the ball, something Pittsburgh’s defense has taken notice of.
“Oh yeah, that’s good,” Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree said about Allen’s fumble issues. “That’s good, definitely that’s good.”
Pittsburgh has caused opponents to fumble 27 times, recovering 15 of them, 2nd best in the NFL.
Allen has 22 fumbles in 25 career games.
“That’s great, man,” Dupree continued. “That will be an opportunity for us to even add to our repertoire.”
Defensive Player of the Year candidate T.J. Watt studies film weekly to get an advantage on his prey of the week. He also learns from practice when pursuing Duck Hodges, Mason Rudolph, and Paxton Lynch.
“Paxton comes from a little bit lower and Duck is a little bit higher,” Watt said. “You kind of look at that stuff when you look at film. But I don’t think you can get caught too much in the small, specific, minute details too much, otherwise, you will drive yourself crazy.
“But you do want to see how quick his release is because if he’s getting it out really quick, you don’t want to necessarily always go for the ball. That’s kind of gotten me in trouble a few times this year because the amount of time during a windup a QB goes from his hip to his release point is so quick if you reach for that outside arm during his throw… the ball can be released, and you just grabbed him when you could have had him.
“So I think it’s kind of a cat-and-mouse game there.”
The Steelers secondary, if Allen dares to throw deep, will be eagerly waiting and planning on adding to their 18 interceptions on the season.
Corner Stephon Nelson, who has had a tremendous year, is still looking for his first of the year.
“The turnovers will come,” Nelson said. “They haven’t come yet like I’ve wanted them to come. Hopefully, they’ll come soon down the stretch.”
Fellow CB Joe Haden would know. He waited until week nine to get his first, but has built that total to four on the season.
“Just continue to play your technique,” Haden said. “Don’t try to go out of position because that’s when you start getting beat on things you’re not getting beat on now. On the inside, everyone knows how good Steve is doing.
“He (Nelson) might not be seeing it in the numbers, but you can see it in the way that he’s not getting beat. I tell Steve just continue doing what you’re doing, and they’ll come in bunches. Once you get that first one, the ball is going to keep coming at you.”
Both players, and the entire defense has benefited from the presence of FS Minkah Fitzpatrick, who defenses have to be aware of at all times on the field with his play-making abilities. Nelson has now become a shutdown corner on a team that so desperately it missed for so many seasons.
“When I hear that term, that’s what I strive for,” Nelson said. “In the offseason, it’s what I worked toward, to gain that title. You don’t get that from being up or down, you get it from staying consistent.”
On Sunday night, the team hopes it will be business as usual for the defense.
If so, Pittsburgh’s winning ways will continue to be in their favor.
The Day One practice report for the Pittsburgh Steelers was a mix of good news and bad news. The good news is, as the Steelers prepare to take on the Buffalo Bills running back James Conner and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster have both returned to practice.
On the bad news side of things, running back Jaylen Samuels is dealing with a groin injury and did not practice along with tight end Vance McDonald who is in the concussion protocol.
The Steelers have three games to play and realistically their worst-case scenario and still make the playoffs are to go 2-1. With the Baltimore Ravens on the schedule, it means they can’t drop this one against the Bills. Having Conner and Smith-Schuster back would be huge as long as it doesn’t upset the offensive chemistry this group has been building.
As for McDonald, if he can’t go, rookie Zach Gentry might be active for the first time since Week Six.
It’s hard not to enjoy the confidence and focus Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Devlin Hodges carries himself with. For an undrafted rookie out of an FCS school, Hodges has stepped up big time for the Steelers this season.
This week Hodges will face his stiffest challenge yet when he and the Steelers welcome the Buffalo Bills to town for a primetime showdown with massive playoff implications on the line.
But for Hodges, it’s all about this game and it’s only the more important because it is the next game they play. Hodges also dismissed any concerns about playing in cold weather on Sunday night noting that ducks like it better when it’s cold. The longterm weather forecast shows a high of 37 and a low of 26 on Sunday so look for the temps to fall somewhere in between.
Hodges is 3-0 as a starter which is a remarkable number for an undrafted rookie. But you can see him getting more and more comfortable with the offense and the coaches keep putting more and more on his plate.
