Category: 2023 AFC playoffs: Steelers vs Bills

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin leaves podium when asked about his contract

Mike Tomlin wasn’t talking about his contract just moments after the playoff loss.

A visibly despondent Mike Tomlin addressed the media after the Pittsburgh Steelers lost 31-17 to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. After spotting the Bills 21 points early in the game, Pittsburgh tried to claw their way back before finally falling short and ending the season.

Tomlin addressed some very superficial aspects of the game when asked but you could tell he was not in the right headspace to dig into Xs and Os. He also wasn’t in the mood to talk about any pending contract conversations. ESPN’s Brooke Pryor started to ask Tomlin about his contract at the end of the presser, to which Tomlin simply walked away from the podium before she could finish. Did he hear her? I assume he did and wasn’t going to talk about it.

Tomlin now heads into the final year of his contract and there is some uncertainty if the front office will give him an extension or allow him to play out the final season. Many fans are ready for the team to move on from Tomlin after years of playoff struggles and shortcomings.

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Penalties and miscues end Steelers season in ugly fashion

The Steelers lose to the Bills 31-17 and the season ends.

The Pittsburgh Steelers can’t go away from Monday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills and say they never had a shot. After spotting the Bills 21 points in the first half, the Steelers fought back, getting as close as 24-17 but some ugly football in the fourth quarter gave the Bills all they needed to secure the win and send the Steelers packing 31-17 and their playoff win drought continues.

After a slow start, quarterback Mason Rudolph got going and kept the Steelers in it but a failure to establish the run game really did the offense in. Meanwhile the Bills rushing attack of James Cook and Josh Allen just gashed a Pittsburgh defense that struggled again to tackle. The absence of outside linebacker T.J. Watt was felt and no one stepped up in his absence.

With this loss, the Steelers remain winless in the playoffs since 2016 and now must head into the offseason with more questions than answers about how to make this team competitive beyond the regular season.

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Steelers Allen Robinson and Joey Porter Jr. questionable to return

The Steelers lost two players quickly with possible concussions.

In a matter of just a few plays against the Buffalo Bills, the Pittsburgh Steelers sent two players to the locker room to be evaluated for concussions. The team announced that wide receiver Allen Robinson and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. were both questionable to return.

Porter had to come off after taking a cheap shot in the back from Bills offensive lineman Conner McGovern. Porter was in the midst of making a tackle when McGovern came up and slammed into Porter on his blindside.

The hit on Robinson was no better. A clear helmet-to-helmet hit on the tackle you could hear clearly on the replay, the officials felt no reason to throw the flag. There was also no flag on the hit on Porter.

Calvin Austin III came in for Robinson and caught a touchdown on the next drive. James Pierre replaced Porter in the secondary.

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Updated weather forecast for Steelers vs. Bills wild card game

Just as NY Governor Kathy Hochul wanted, the weather conditions at Highmark Stadium should free up the passing game for Josh Allen to do Josh Allen things.

Just as New York Governor Kathy Hochul wanted, the weather conditions at Highmark Stadium should free up the passing game for Josh Allen to do Josh Allen things. The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ defense just needs to minimize it.

Mason Rudolph has yet to be tested by a top-10 defense, but hopefully, Mason Rudolph can do Mason Rudolph things, too.

According to the Weather Channel, the percentage for precipitation will be widdled down to 11 percent with mostly cloudy skies. Southwest winds are forecasted at 10 miles per hour, putting the feels-like temperature around five degrees.

For comparison, the miserable weather for the Kansas City Chiefs-Miami Dolphins — negative four degrees (record for coldest game at Arrowhead) and whipping 25-mile-per-hour winds — didn’t keep Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa from slinging it for 461 total yards.

So, it’ll be an even playing field, just as the (in)convenient delay was meant to do.

Thanks, New York.

Now, Steelers — do your thing!

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Steelers vs Bills: Keys to victory for Pittsburgh in today’s game

Ball security and keeping tabs on Josh Allen are two of our keys to victory.

On Monday afternoon the final AFC playoff game will happen when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills square off in what looks to be a blizzard. Pittsburgh is a heavy underdog but the weather is the great equalizer this week and gives the Steelers a real shot to win. Here are our keys to victory.

Steelers vs Bills: 4 bold predictions for today’s game

The Steelers run game goes off and they pull off the upset over the Bills.

It sounds as if the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills is going to happen in Buffalo on Monday afternoon no matter if the playing conditions are any better or not so it’s time for some bold predictions sure to go wrong for the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

NFL experts give the Steelers no shot vs the Bills

NFL experts are overwhelmingly picking the Bills over the Steelers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers found in the playoffs after a late-season rally but continue to wait for their opportunity to take on the Buffalo Bills. The game was originally scheduled to take place on Sunday but thanks to a blizzard in the Buffalo area, but was forced to be rescheduled for Monday afternoon in hopes of getting better a traveling and playing situation.

But regardless of when the game is played, most NFL pundits aren’t giving the Steelers any shot at winning. Based on the aggregated results from the folks over at NFL Pick Watch, a whopping 98 percent of experts are picking the Bills.

The Bills are currently 10-point favorites according to BetMGM. If this game were to be played in good weather, there’s no doubt Buffalo would be the better team. But this weather is a great equalizer. All-but-negating the downfield passing game and putting all the emphasis on which team can run the football, Pittsburgh should be very competitive this week.

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Steelers vs Bills playoff matchup remains in jeopardy

What will the NFL do about this game as conditions remain awful in Buffalo?

The playoff showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills had to be moved from Saturday to Monday to account for a massive snowstorm that moved into the area creating dangerous conditions and even a travel ban.

But as we sit on Sunday, just 24 hours to kickoff, things are no better and this could force yet another schedule change. The forecast for Monday is colder but with slightly less wind and snow. However, after several days straight of blizzard conditions, there’s no way the roads and facilities will be at 100 percent.

However, moving the game a second time creates some very interesting problems. Do you keep the game in Buffalo and just move it out another day? The weather on Tuesday appears to be no better. Or does the league opt for a neutral site? If so, a decision would have to be made today to allow for travel and other logistical hangups.

But another move creates one even bigger issue related to competitive fairness. The Texans and Chiefs will already have an extra day of rest and to prepare and moving the game to Tuesday puts the Bills and Steelers another day behind. The reality is if the league plans to play the game on Monday, they might have well played it on Sunday given the weather. If this matchup ends up being played on Tuesday, the entire slate of game will need to be adjusted in fairness to the winner.

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Betting line for Steelers vs Bills holds after postponement

The Steelers remain 10-point underdogs this week.

On Saturday it was announced that the Wild Card playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills was being postponed until Monday afternoon due to a massive snowstorm coming into the Orchard Park area and cited safety as the primary reason for the move.

Monday’s weather isn’t going to be a drastic improvement over Sunday but if it creates a safer environment for all involved, it had to be done. But did the postponement do anything for the oddsmakers?

The short answer is no. Even hours after the announcement, the line for this week’s game according to BetMGM still had the Steelers as massive 10-point underdogs to the Bills.

Meanwhile the over/under for total points is currently 37. This number seems incredibly generous given the weather and potential field conditions. I would definitely take the under in this one and it is hard to see the Bills pulling away and winning by over 10 so I would take the points as well.

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NFL fans blast decision to postpone Steelers-Bills Wild Card game

Advantage: Buffalo Bills

The NFL’s decision to postpone the Pittsburgh Steelers-Buffalo Bills Wild Card game isn’t sitting well with fans. Blizzard-like conditions were a significant advantage for Pittsburgh, given the emergence of their ground game, but now the playing field has been leveled.

There are many reasons why this decision is inconvenient, but what it comes down to is the safety of those traveling to the game.

Here are some of our favorite reactions to the postponement.