Here’s how the Buffalo Bills can build upon their success in the 2020 offseason.
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
If you listened closely enough, you likely could have heard a collective sigh in western New York as you woke up on the morning of Jan. 5.
A feeling of dread lingered over the region like a lake effect cloud on the morning after the Buffalo Bills’ Wild-Card round loss to the Houston Texans.
It can perhaps best be described as the ultimate Bills hangover.
Buffalo held a two-score lead over the Texans in the second half of the contest, at one point looking as though it was going to exit NRG Stadium with its first postseason win of the millennium.
What it instead left with was a 22-19 loss and a 25-year postseason-winless streak still intact.
Though the thought of the Bills’ postseason collapse is still fresh in the collective mind of the Buffalo faithful, it’s difficult to not be excited about the team’s future. Coming off a 10-6 season with north of $88 million in salary-cap space, it’s clear that the Bills will be eager to build upon their success in the offseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to have some significant free-agent decisions to make this offseason. But none will be bigger than how to handle outside linebacker Bud Dupree. This sentiment was echoed by head coach Mike Tomlin at his Tuesday press conference where he called Dupree “a top priority” for the Steelers.
Dupree had his breakout season in 2019. He finished second on the team with 11.5 sacks, an improvement of 5.5 over his best season previously. It probably sounds cliche but you could see that everything finally clicked for Dupree, who has always been an elite athlete but showed he can be an elite football player as well.
I’m not going to say the Steelers cannot re-sign Dupree. Their ability to manipulate the salary cap is unmatched in the NFL. But with the season Dupree has had, if the Steelers are serious about not letting Dupree leave, it’s going to be expensive. And quite honestly, it would be somewhat out of character for the franchise to get into a bidding war for any player’s services.
I sat down with Steelers Wire managing editor Curt Popejoy to not only get some insight on what Pittsburgh has going on now but their future.
The Baltimore Ravens wrap up their regular season with yet another AFC North rivalry, this time against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, this game doesn’t mean much to Baltimore and will see several key starters sitting out to rest up for the postseason.
I sat down with managing editor Curt Popejoy of Steelers Wire to not only see what Pittsburgh has going on right now but to get an early preview of their offseason. Take a look at our five questions with the enemy this week to see where the Steelers stand in Week 17.
James Conner is ruled out. Who will be his replacement and what differences can we expect there?
Conner has missed so much football this season it’s hard to imagine the team is even giving it much thought. Once again it’ll be some combination of Benny Snell Jr., Jaylen Samuels and Kerrith Whyte trying to create something of a run game. I want to say the Steelers are going to make a stronger effort to establish the run this week but I’ve been saying it for a month and it hasn’t happened.
The Steelers want to make Jets quarterback Sam Darnold as uncomfortable as possible when they come to MetLife Stadium in Week 16.
Remember when Sam Darnold said he was seeing ghosts against the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football?
The Steelers want to make that happen again in Week 16.
Darnold was beyond rattled against the Patriots, as New England kept him off balance and running for his life with a variety of blitz packages and defensive formations. He has settled back in since his infamous Monday night admission, but members of the Steelers’ defense believe they can get the second-year signal caller rattled when they come to MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
“That’s the plan,” Pittsburgh safety Terrell Edmunds said on Wednesday. “Just put a lot of people in his face, hopefully make him make some false throws and get turnovers. That’s our gameplan. That’s just how we play the game every week. So that’s how we are trying to carry it out.”
Pittsburgh certainly has the personnel to make Darnold uncomfortable this weekend. TJ Watt is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, while Bud Dupree has undergone somewhat of a career renaissance in 2019. Veteran cornerback Joe Haden is also a key contributor in the secondary, giving the Jets a ballhawk they’ll have to account for at all times.
“We’d like to try to confuse him,” Haden said. “He’s still a [second-year] quarterback. So we’re trying to not just stand out there and let him know what defense we are in. Just trying to keep him on his toes. Once he snaps the ball, get a little movement in, so he has to realize what [type of coverage] we are in during the play. Just trying to hold our disguises and move around and keep him thinking.”
Whether or not Darnold sees ghosts against the Steelers, he’s going to have to play his best football against a Pittsburgh team fighting to keep its playoff hopes alive if he wants to lead the Jets to their sixth victory of the year.
Which Steelers’ defender should have been named to the Pro Bowl?
The success of the Pittsburgh Steelers falls almost completely on the inspired play of the Steelers defense. A much maligned group in recent seasons, the defense has now put itself among the elite in the NFL. This unit got some recognition on Tuesday might when three members were named to the Pro Bowl.
But despite LB T.J. Watt, DT Cam Heyward and S Minkah Fitzpatrick making the cut, there were still others who got snubbed. I suppose if you really wanted to make a case, either Steelers cornerback could have been on the team. Joe Haden and Steven Nelson has both been great.
However, the real snub on this team is linebacker Bud Dupree. Partner in crime to Watt, they form the best tandem of pass rusher in the league. The NFL named Von Miller and Matt Judon to be teammates to Watt.
Judon has 47 tackles, 8.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. Dupree tops Judon in all three categories. I can see leaving Judon on the team but Miller made it largely on reputation rather than production. Miller only has 40 tackles and seven sacks on the season. I suppose having teammates that play the same position wasn’t what the league wanted but Dupree certainly deserved in over Miller.
Buffalo Bills opponent information on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The Bills find themselves in a wonderful predicament, but could be all for naught if they can’t find a win over the next three weeks. The 9-4 Buffalo Bills meet the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, their first appearance in that primetime slot in some time. Major playoff implications are at stake here, as a Bills loss can knock them back a spot in the Wild Card Race, though still in by a hair.
This is easily the biggest Bills-Steelers match up in some time, so let’s get into their history, statistics and more:
The Bills and Steelers first met on Oct. 11, 1970, in Pittsburgh, with the Steelers winning 23-10.
They met in the 1974 postseason, with Pittsburgh taking a 32-14 win in that game.
The Bills won five straight games against Pittsburgh, from Nov. 9, 1986 to their 1992 AFC Divisional Round Game on Jan. 9, 1993.
Buffalo and Pittsburgh also met in the 1995 AFC Divisional Playoff Game, with the Steelers winning 40-21.
The Bills have not defeated the Steelers in the 21st Century, with their last victory over them on Oct. 10, 1999, in a 24-21 victory.
Buffalo had an opportunity to make the post-season in the 2004-05 season. In a “win and your in” scenario. The Bills starters failed to defeat the Steelers backups, who were 14-1 heading into the final game of the season. Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 29-24, in Buffalo.
Their most recent encounter was a 27-20 win for Pittsburgh, in Buffalo.
Pittsburgh leads the all-time series, 16-9, including playoffs.
2019 So Far
In what has been a challenging year for the Steelers, including their fallout with Antonio Brown, losing Le’Veon Bell, and Ben Roethlisberger succumbing to season-ending injury in Week 2, somehow, the Steelers are still in the playoff picture, and have some favorable circumstances going for them. This season has been a massive testament to Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s ability to lead men on a football field, and is certainly a candidate for Coach of the Year.
Pittsburgh began the season with a blowout loss to the Patriots in the opening Sunday Night Football game for 2019. A 33-3 loss on primetime was no way to start the season, especially with many questioning how Pittsburgh would be effected by the losses of Bell and Brown. From there on, two more losses, a close one against Seattle, 26-28, their last game with Big Ben under center for this year, as well as a 20-24 loss to the 49ers. All three quality teams, and playoff teams at that, right now, in Week 15. Not too shabby for a team of backups despite the losses.
They earned their first win on Monday Night Football in Week 4 against the Bengals, a dominant win against a team that only has one win to it’s credit so far this season. This is also when the Steelers traded for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, a trade that turned around their defense.
However, since that Bengals win, Pittsburgh has only lost twice. To the Baltimore Ravens, a 23-26 loss in overtime, and to the Cleveland Browns in Week 11, a 21-7 loss that ended in a chaotic situation.
Pittsburgh has defeated the Chargers, Dolphins, Colts, Rams, Bengals again, Browns and Cardinals, and face a relatively favorable schedule these last three weeks. They hold criteria over a few teams that are breathing down their neck, and a win over the Bills would nearly secure their playoff aspirations.
Currently, Pittsburgh is the 29th ranked offense, with 3,771 yards of total offense. They are 31st in passing, with 2,541 pass yards and 25th in rushing with 1,230 yards on the ground.
It’s truly impressive how successful that Pittsburgh has been, especially with their personnel under center. Three quarterbacks have taken snaps for the Steelers in 2019. Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph, and most recently and successfully, Devlin Hodges. The Bills had four last season and their season was not a success.
Rudolph’s tenure as starting QB was enough for him to be at 31st in the NFL in passing yards with 1,636 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions. He had a 5-3 record as a starter. In three starts, Hodges is 3-0, and 39th in passing yards with 682 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Roethlisberger had 351 passing yards, zero touchdowns and one interception in his tenure.
It hasn’t been a great year for last year’s emerging rush sensation, James Conner. Conner was a certified stud in 2018, filling in seamlessly for the boycotting Bell. This year has been drastically different, with injuries. James Conner is currently ranked 44th in the NFL amongst rushers, leading Pittsburgh with 390 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Benny Snell is next up in rushing leaders for Pittsburgh with 320 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Snell is ranked 49th in rushing.
Pittsburgh’s highest ranked receiver in yardage, is James Washington, who is currently ranked 50th in the NFL. He has accrued 611 yards receiving on the year, Next in line, Ju-Ju Smith Schuster, who is ranked 63rd in receiving yards, with 524 yards. Schuster has dealt with injuries all year, and has not been able to handle the workload of being a No. 1 WR with Brown leaving, and it has harmed him statistically.
One aspect that is keeping the Steelers alive and well in the playoff race is their defense, which is star studded. They are the fifth ranked defense in the NFL, allowing 4,042 yards of offense against them. Pittsburgh is also the fifth ranked passing defense, allowing 2,727 yards by air, and they are eighth in rush defense with 1,315 yards allowed.
Their defense is led by talents of T.J. Watt, Joe Haden, Bud Dupree, Cameron Hayward, Fitzpatrick, and many others.
Buffalo Bills C Mitch Morse, OL Quinton Spain, coach Sean McDermott on Pittsburgh Steelers defense.
The Bills offensive line struggled against the Baltimore Ravens last week. Upcoming in Week 15, an even bigger test might be awaiting in the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen was hit 12 times, sacked six times, and the Ravens had 12 total tackles for loss. With all those numbers in mind, here’s another: The Steelers have 48 sacks, the most in the NFL. That could be a problem.
Reflecting back on Wednesday, Bills center Mitch Morse said the type of game the Bills played last week is the type that causes some self-reflection.
“I think there’s definitely some good parts to the game, but you can’t let that clout what we have to work on,” Morse told reporters. “It’s always easier to find excuses outside of yourself for things that go array. You’ve got to look internally and there’s a lot that I can work on and learn on.”
Buffalo has a lot to work on looking at the film from Sunday against Baltimore. But lineman Quinton Spain things there’s a bit of a formula that might work well for the Steelers.
Spain said the Bills need to establish a running game early, which will then allow the Bills to open things up offensively.
“We’ve got to establish the run, that’s going to open up the passing protection,” Spain said. “We’ve got to do our job. They call the play, five man, six man, seven man protection, eight man protection, we just have got to hold up and let Josh (Allen) do what he’s got to do.”
That being said, it’s much easier said than done. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott knows that and said the Steelers will certainly have looked at the tape from last week.
“It’s a copycat league and we try and respect that as well, and make sure that we are dotting our I’s and crossing our T’s as relates to some of the challenges that we faced,” McDermott said. “We’ve got to make sure that we continue to grow specific to what happened [against the Ravens].”
And as mentioned, it’s not going to be easy by any stretch against the likes of TJ Watt, Bud Depree and the rest of the Steelers’ strong front-seven.
“They got great guys up there. They got Pro Bowlers, they’ve got All-Pros in that front-seven,” Spain said. “We’ve got to do our job a dominate the game.”
My observations and reactions to the Pittsburgh Steelers week 14 win against the Arizona Cardinals.
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Steelers took care of business against a competitive Arizona Cardinals team in week 14. The defense continued to roll holding their fifth straight opponent to 21 or fewer points. Devlin Hodges turned in an efficient performance and became the first rookie undrafted free-agent quarterback to win his first three starts. The Steelers have won seven of their last eight games and control their playoff destiny. Here are my gut reactions:
Beating the Odds
It was good to see the Steelers actually get to play with a lead. The offensive game plan was still conservative, Hodges finished with 16 completions and a touchdown on 19 attempts, but that was good enough for a win. Just as important as Hodges 152 passing yards was the fact that he didn’t turn the ball over.
Hodges’ contributions as a rusher shouldn’t be overlooked either. He scrambled five times for 34 yards and ironically outrushed counterpart Kyler Murray. Hodges an undrafted free agent beat the first overall draft pick at his own game, but his solid performance was overshadowed by Dionte Johnson’s breakout day.
Bud Dupree is on track for a big free-agent contract.
Many of us, myself included didn’t think there was a future for outside linebacker Bud Dupree with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But it seems the light has finally come on for Dupree and he is living up to all the pre-draft hype.
Through 12 games, Dupree has career highs in sacks with 8.5, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and tackles with 50. Dupree is hoping this surge is going to pay off in a big way in free agency. But will it be the Steelers who pay him?
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The Steelers defense is loaded and all of those guys are going to want to be paid. With big contracts on the horizon for players like linebacker T.J. Watt and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, it might be too much of a risk for Pittsburgh to commit long term to Dupree.
Cast your vote and let us know if you think the Steelers will be able to re-sign Dupree.
