Tag: bills steelers

PFF breaks down big game by Bills’ Daryl Williams vs. TJ Watt

Pro Football Focus on Buffalo Bills’ Daryl Williams vs. Pittsburgh Steelers’ TJ Watt in Week 14.

The MVP for the Buffalo Bills during their 26-15 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, to many, was wide receiver Stefon Diggs. But was offensive lineman Daryl Williams overlooked?

In his own right, Diggs did have a massive game. He hauled in 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. Diggs’ efforts also sparked the team’s turnaround following their poor start.

However, in terms of a consistent, overall outing? Williams is the guy. He faced off against one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers in TJ Watt and left the edge defender uncommonly quiet in the game.

Still, for offensive lineman we have no hard stats to reflect upon like we can for a playmaker. No catches or touchdowns.

Enter Pro Football Focus.

The football analytics outlet took the deep dive on Williams’ game vs. Watt and it looks as impressive as the eye test. Per PFF, Williams only allowed one QB pressure in the game vs. Watt. In terms of these fancy stats, Watt entered the game as PFF’s top-graded edge defender in the NFL.

Since facing Williams, Watt dropped to the second spot. That’s because PFF gave Watt his second-lowest, single-game grade of 2020 against the Bills, a 64.3. That caused Watt’s overall mark on the season to dip to 92.0. Clearly Watt is usually much better, and Williams was a big reason why he struggled.

Along with the analytics, Watt’s usual stats are very impressive as well and that situation also helps put Williams’ big game into context. Watt brought his 12 total sacks and league-leading 19 tackles for loss to Bills Stadium last weekend, but failed to add to either total.

A very good game for Williams, indeed.

For his efforts, Williams’ overall PFF grade on the year jumped from 75.7 to 76.5 following the Bills’ win.

Another former Panther-turned-Bill, Williams has proven to be a consistent performer for Buffalo this year. After signing a one-year deal with the Bills this past offseason, some are starting to wonder if the 28-year-old has earned a long-term extension in Buffalo.

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Steelers game brings out love between Bills QB Josh Allen, Jim Kelly

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly following win vs. Steelers.

Wins always bring the good feelings out of players, which evidently includes players of past and present alike… and quarterbacks specifically.

After the Bills (10-3) topped the Steelers (11-2) on Sunday Night Football some numbers came to the forefront. Yes, the 26-15 victory is another in the win column, but was a game for Josh Allen’s numbers in the record books, as well.

This week the touchdowns took center stage as Allen’s 35 total became the most by any QB in team history in a single season. He also now trails Jim Kelly’s single-season record of 33 passing scores by only five with three games left.

Perhaps because of the good vibes rolling after a win, but both Allen and Kelly were very complimentary of one another postgame.

Kelly, via wife Jill Kelly, said on social media that the personal damage to his own numbers is going to be done. Kelly said he thinks his team records are going to all be broken by Allen in due time:

By the time Allen stepped up to the podium for his postgame video conference, it’s unknown if he saw the tweet above. Regardless, the current Bills QB is just thrilled to even be mentioned in the same stratosphere with Kelly.

“To be mentioned in the likes of a guy like Jim, a Hall of Fame guy, regarded as the best quarterback to ever play in Buffalo,” Allen said. “He took me under his wing, so like I said to be mentioned in the same sentence as him is super honoring and super humbling.”

Allen went on to mention he’s really just focusing on the team goals and not the individual ones. But one has to feel warm inside seeing all of Kelly’s marks go down… finally, as they should have long ago with the way the NFL has transformed since his career ended.

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Power Rankings: Unless you’re the Chiefs, you’re (probably) below the Bills

Power rankings polls following the Buffalo Bills in Week 14.

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 26-15, on Sunday Night Football, during the Week 14 slate of NFL games and are now 10-3. The Bills inched closer to clinching a playoff spot. 

But really the focus isn’t on the Bills and Steelers in this week’s power rankings. Instead, it’s on the Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. 

Aside from Buffalo, there’s only one team in the league that’s consistently ranked higher and it’s the Chiefs… and hey, that’s a conversation the Bills will gladly accept. You vs. the defending champ? What more could one want?

With that, here’s exactly how some of the national power ranking polls break down the Bills after Week 14: 

USA Today

4. Bills (5)

What a year from WR Stefon Diggs, who leads the league with 100 grabs and will set Buffalo record for one season – he currently shares it with Eric Moulds – with his next reception.

Touchdown Wire

3. Buffalo Bills

(10-3. Last Week: 5)

Don’t look now, but the Buffalo Bills might be the second-best team in the AFC.

They made such a case on Sunday night, dispatching the Pittsburgh Steelers and showing strength on both sides of the football. In the first half it was their defense. While Josh Allen and company were struggling the Bills notched a defensive touchdown on this Pick-Six.

In the second half, the offense made their mark. Buffalo scored on their first two possessions of the third quarter, and on their second such touchdown drive Allen hit on three big passing plays, including a rocket shot for a touchdown to Gabriel Davis.

With the win, the Bills ensured that for the first time since 2008 a team outside of New England will win the AFC East. Buffalo can lock the division up next Saturday with a win over the Denver Broncos. But with how they are playing right now – on both sides of the ball – their eyes should be aimed higher.

Sports Illustrated

3. Buffalo Bills (10-3)

Last week: Win vs. Pittsburgh 26–15
Next week: at Denver

Washington ruined Buffalo’s chance to hand Pittsburgh its first defeat of the season, but this was nonetheless a statement win for the Bills, who are closing in on what would be their first AFC East crown since 1995.

Sporting News

3. Buffalo Bills 10-3 (5)

Josh Allen is red-hot again and the Bills are showing all kinds of offensive swag, led by Stefon Diggs. Their defense is also starting to come up with big plays. Taking down the 49ers and Steelers back to back in a short week is impressive.

Yahoo! Sports

3. Buffalo Bills (10-3, LW: 5)

The Bills defense played its best game of the season on Sunday night. We all know that side of the ball has talent, and has probably underachieved a bit this season. If the performance against the Steelers was a sign that the Bills can play like a top-10 defense the rest of the way, look out.

Bleacher Report

3. Buffalo Bills (10-3)

High: 3

Low: 4

Last Week: 5

Week 14 Result: Won vs. Pittsburgh 26-15

At 10-3, the Buffalo Bills are on the verge of their first AFC East title in a quarter-century.

Sunday night’s statement win over the Pittsburgh Steelers established the Bills as perhaps the biggest threat to Kansas City in the AFC. The Bills are riding as high as they have since the 1990s.

It’s funny how that coincided with the arrival of Stefon Diggs in western New York.

With 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers, Diggs has already tallied 1,167 receiving yards on 100 catches for the season. After the game, Bills quarterback Josh Allen raved about the impact Diggs has made for the team.

“All he wants to do is help his team win football games,” Allen told reporters. “He’s a competitor, and we have very similar mindsets. I love the guy. He goes out there and competes his tail off and I’m just super blessed that we traded for him.”

The tests aren’t over yet for the Bills, who face New England and Miami over the final two weeks of the regular season. But in Gagnon’s opinion, it’s well past time to take the Bills seriously as a Super Bowl threat.

“For a while, I was afraid to trust the Bills because they lack experience and their so-so scoring margin was concerning,” he said. “But they’ve now won four of their last five games by double-digit margins, and their only loss since Week 7 came on a Hail Mary on the road against a playoff-caliber team. It’s time to admit they’re a true contender.”

Pro Football Talk

2. Bills (No. 4; 10-3)

Some teams step up in December. Some teams don’t. The Bills are.

ESPN

3. Buffalo Bills (10-3)

Offense: 9

Defense: 15

Special Teams: 18

The Bills’ offense is a complete turnaround from last season’s anemic unit, as Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs have combined to form one of the most potent QB-WR duos in the NFL. Although their defense began the season hemorrhaging yards, it has regained its 2018 and 2019 form over the past few weeks. Mix in a special-teams unit that features the league’s most efficient returner in Andre Roberts, and you’ve got a team ready to make a deep playoff run.

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5 studs and 2 duds in Bills’ 26-15 win over the Steelers

Buffalo Bills studs and duds following win vs. Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14.

The Buffalo Bills are putting their final reviews on their latest matchup, this one being their recent 26-15 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In the effort, we saw the Bills (10-3) rally the troops and put up 23 unanswered points vs. the Steelers (11-2). In letting those scores up, Pittsburgh had little push back against Buffalo on primetime.

After looking at the tape and letting the dust settle, here are five studs and two duds from the Bills in their win over the Steelers:

Duds

Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

OL Ike Boettger

Center Mitch Morse was beaten by Steelers defensive tackle Casey Hayward, but the bigger culprit was guard Ike Boettger. In only his fourth-career start, maybe the Bills put too much on his plate?

Both Morse and Boettger saw their overall season grade via Pro Football Focus take big hits this week, but Boettger’s in particular went from 75.9 to 63.8. Massive dip and it showed. The Bills should go back to him again, though. Let him learn from it.

WR Gabriel Davis

Kind of a weird addition to this list considering he scored a touchdown, but here’s our justification: That was an elite pass from Josh Allen and yes, kudos to Davis for catching it. But he went up with too soft of hands a few times against the Steelers and defensive backs knocked the ball from his hands. Davis had three catches for 19 yards total on eight targets which easily should’ve been more.

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Bills snap counts: Depth chart breakdown vs. Steelers

Buffalo Bills snaps counts depth chart breakdown vs. Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14.

It was a tale of two games for the Bills against the Steelers in Week 14.

The first half didn’t go so well for the Bills (10-3), but the second half saw a whole new team come out of the locker room. This squad was too much for the Steelers (11-2) to handle, as Buffalo took a 26-15 win on primetime.

In terms of which players made the biggest impact on that mid-game swing, snap counts will tell us the story. Here’s a full depth chart breakdown of snaps played for the Bills against the Steelers in Week 14:

Bills WR Stefon Diggs was never worried vs. Steelers: ‘Hell nah’

Buffalo Bills WR Stefon Diggs on offense, quarterback Josh Allen during win vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Buffalo Bills were up 9-7 at the half against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Having said that, the game had a pretty bleak outlook for Buffalo.

That is, until the Bills (10-3) came out and put a stamp on this one in the second half. The Steelers (11-2) had few answers for Buffalo en route to their 26-15 win.

Hindsight is 20/20, but via video conference, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who played a big part in the improved play by the Bills after a slow start, certainly made it sound he knew his team was going to play a lot better in the second half against Pittsburgh.

“Nah, hell nah,” Diggs said when asked if he was worried at all about the offense or QB Josh Allen going into the second half. “He’s never too high and he’s never too low. I just tried to stay behind him and let him know we got his back on the outside.”

While Allen did have a much better effort in the second half, it was really Diggs that stood out the most. After only three grabs for 38 yards in the opening half, Diggs added seven receptions for 92 yards and a score later on.

What appeared to do the trick for the Bills offense were some blocking and game plan adjustments at halftime. Allen found more time to get the ball out quicker and did just that, plenty of times to Diggs.

But according to the wideout, that wasn’t the case. At least in his own opinion, Diggs said he thinks the Bills’ playmakers, himself included, just had to win matchups and be better… get open.

“We weren’t being us in the first half,” Diggs said.

This ownership that Diggs puts on himself isn’t just him talking a couple of nice words into a microphone, either. After Diggs put the team on his back, many of his teammates were talking about him after the game. However, they weren’t really mentioning his play on the field.

Instead what really stood out is the comments about his character.

Diggs made Allen is look much improved after the half… but the QB instead raved about how wrong folks were in criticizing Buffalo trading for the star wideout this past offseason.

“The juice, the energy, the excitement that he brings when he’s on the field…,” Allen said. “When we first traded for him, and the whole media backing about him was so negative about him… it blows my mind that people can get that so wrong because he’s been nothing but great for us.”

Buffalo’s anchor on the offensive line, Dion Dawkins, took it a step further. The team captain said Diggs deserves to have his own personal designation.

“Listen, Diggs is so special that as I see him play, I just want to rip off my captain ‘C’ and throw it on his chest, because he’s a stud, man,” Dawkins said. “He’s been grinding.”

Sometimes players aren’t quite aware of the numbers, but adding volumes to the comments made by Diggs’ teammates is the timing of them. Up to 100 catches on the year, over the course of the next three games, Diggs needs one single catch to break the Bills’ franchise record for most in a season (Eric Moulds). Not only that, his 1,167 receiving yards is currently a career-high… again, with three games left.

Even with those publicly-known numbers, the focus on Diggs still wasn’t his hands or toe-tapping grabs. It was his attitude and leadership for the Bills, which makes his acquisition, somehow, seem smarter than it already was.

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Report card: Bills top Steelers, 26-15

Report card for Buffalo Bills in their Week 14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In a top-seeded AFC showdown, the Buffalo Bills came out on top, 26-15, against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14. The Sunday Night Football contest again showed the Bills’ abilities off to the country.

In doing so, the Bills (10-3) weren’t a picture-perfect team against the Steelers (11-2). A lot did go right, though.

With that, here’s how Bills Wire’s latest report card for Buffalo looks following their win over Pittsburgh:

The Morning After: Bills have joined the Super Bowl crowd

Morning after reaction to the Buffalo Bills beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14.

The Buffalo Bills have entered a realm that was once considered nothing short of a pipe dream. This team is a Super Bowl contender.

And we don’t mean in the future, either (although, that’s likely, too.) Buffalo is a Super Bowl contender right now, as you’re reading this. They have what it takes to do it and have continued to make connections to the last time they were in the title discussion, week in and week.

The latest is their win against the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2). Buffalo is now 10-3 following that 26-15 victory. It’s the first time the team has had a 10-3 record since 1991 in the midst of their four-straight Super Bowl run.

That year, the Bills made it to Super Bowl XXVI and running back Thurman Thomas won the NFL MVP Award. Better yet, that crew was one-upped by the 2020 Bills. According to Nick Veroncia from The Process Podcast, the Bills won back-to-back primetime games by double-digit points for the first time ever over the Steelers and 49ers in their past two outings.

Due to the changes in the modern-era of the NFL where stats on offense are inflated, the Bills likely don’t have the 2020 MVP on their roster. But they certainly have some franchise ones.

Quarterback Josh Allen already broke the team record for total touchdowns in a season against the Steelers. He’s up to 35. Allen’s also got a look at breaking Jim Kelly‘s passing touchdown record, trailing that record of 33 by five with three games to go. Allen’s successes have been greatly helped by wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who’s in the record books already. Diggs’ 100 catches on the year ties Eric Moulds‘ franchise record. Diggs’ 1,1167 receiving yards is already the most in team-history through 13 games played as well.

While the Bills do not have a record-setting defense, that unit has more recently looked even better than the guys who are setting the records. Their run defense, once embarrassing a few months ago, has kept four of the past five opponents under 100 yards on the ground in a game. In that same time span, Buffalo’s defense has 11 total takeaways as well, most recently via interceptions from cornerbacks Taron Johnson and Levi Wallace against the Steelers.

Still, we knew the Bills defense was improving over the last few weeks. We should have expected this again, right? Well the NFL is a week-to-week league and the entire team could look terrible next week. It’s what makes the league so popular. But if you’re in this type of pessimistic camp, there’s still another latest improvement the Bills can hang their hat on now.

How about them second-half apples? Typically a struggling team in the third quarter, the Bills looked nothing like that in Week 14, putting up 23-straight points and killing the clock for the final seven minutes of the game after Wallace’s game-sealing interception. Those adjustments came after Buffalo’s first six drives on offense lasted five plays or fewer. A completely different team.

With this latest positive update to the team, what more do you need to see to be convinced this team could go the distance? It might be their time.

That is, unless the Kansas City Chiefs have something to say about it…

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Bills Wire’s Week 14 Player of the Game: CB Levi Wallace

CB Levi Wallace is Buffalo Bills Wire Player of the Game for Week 14.

https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=P1XbqQdxOC-1071296-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on

An interesting choice for sure, but we decided to give some love to defensive back Levi Wallace this week for his game-sealing interception for the Buffalo Bills to earn Bills Wire’s coveted Player of the Game nod. 

While this was certainly a team win, with solid performances across the board, it’s hard to specify which players to choose as the “Player of the Game.” When you look for that player to choose, you examine moments.

With seven minutes left in the game, and an opportunity for the Steelers to make things interesting, and Pittsburgh driving down field, Levi Wallace made one of the biggest interceptions of his career against Ben Roethlisberger, and a clock killing drive from the Bills offense ensued.

Check out Wallace’s huge play here:

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National media reactions to elite Stefon Diggs, Bills win vs. Steelers

National reactions on Twitter to Buffalo Bills’ win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Buffalo Bills had people and the media buzzing once again on primetime football in Week 14.

After topping the 49ers on Monday Night Football last week, the lights stayed bright on the Bills and Buffalo beat the Steelers, 25-15, on Sunday Night Football. But in those two games, we had two different studs for Buffalo.

Against the Niners, undoubtedly quarterback Josh Allen shined. He was good again after halftime, but the Bills and their QB would’ve been nothing without wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Both had folks all across the nation buzzing after this one.

With that, here are some national reactions from Sunday as the Bills took on the Steelers:

Mike Clay, ESPN

Peter Schrager, Good Morning Football

Adam Schein, CBS Sports

Dianna Russini, ESPN

Mina Kimes, ESPN

Big Cat, Barstool Sports

Jim Rome, The Jim Rome Show

Adam Schefter, ESPN

Sunday Night Football

Bleacher Report

Ryan Clark, ESPN (& former Steeler)

Dan Graziano, ESPN

Trey Wingo, formerly ESPN

Magic Johnson, NBA Hall of Famer

Iron Sheik, WWE Hall of Famer

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