Reflecting on the win that was:
The Buffalo Bills defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Wild Card playoff action, 31-17.
The game, delayed over 24 hours from its original kickoff time due to massive snowstorms that traveled through western New York over the weekend, was a great continuation of the Bills late-season surge. Including the playoffs, Buffalo has won its last six contests.
Buffalo’s offense started blazing hot, moving down the field with little resistance on their first drive. Tight end Dawson Knox scored on a corner route to finish off a 10-play drive.
Buffalo’s defense made the first big play between the two defensive units. Cornerback Taron Johnson forced a fumble from Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. Linebacker Terrel Bernard recovered the fumble in Pittsburgh territory.
On the next play, Allen delivered a perfect pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid.
Kincaid got depth behind Steelers linebackers for the 29-yard score.
The Bills defense followed this up with another big play.
Pittsburgh’s offense finally started to gain some traction, moving the ball efficiently through the air and on the ground. Steelers quarterback looked to get Pittsburgh on the board with a pass to the edge of the end zone. Cornerback Kaiir Elam turned and snagged the ball to halt the drive.
Buffalo responded with an eight-play scoring drive culminating with a spectacular run by Josh Allen. The Bills QB broke out of the pocket and rumbled 52 yards through defenders to give Buffalo a three-touchdown lead.
Down and out, Pittsburgh gained some life with a big special teams play. The Steelers blocked a Tyler Bass field goal attempt from 49 yards out. The ball rolled back into Buffalo territory, and Pittsburgh took control at the Bills 33-yard line.
The Steelers ran through an efficient five-play series to get on the board. Dionte Johnson found a pocket in the Bills secondary and scored on a 10-yard reception. Buffalo entered halftime up 21-7.
Pittsburgh’s offense moved the ball well on their initial possession of the second half. The Bills defense, however, forced an incompletion on third-and-nine to stop the drive. Kicker Chris Boswell was successful from 40 yards to reduce the deficit to 11 points.
Buffalo committed to the run on the next drive. This time, Bass was good from 45 yards out, giving Buffalo a two-touchdown lead once again. The drive took over seven minutes off the clock.
Pittsburgh hung tight, responding with a 12-play touchdown drive. Once again, the Steelers leaned on a combination of run plays and intermediate passes to move the ball down the field. Wideout Calvin Austin found a spot ahead of cornerback Cam Lewis for the reception. With over 10 minutes remaining in regulation, the Steelers clawed their way back within one score.
Then, the Bills started to pull away once again.
Buffalo tacked on another score, this time with a spectacular run-after-catch by Khalil Shakir. The Bills receiver broke a tackle at the 15-yard-line and then weaved his way through the Steelers defense. The drive featured several runs by Allen and Cook to extend the series.
Buffalo’s defense slammed the door shut from there and the clock was too far gone for Pittsburgh’s hopes.
Here’s the rest of Bills Wire’s recap of the Bills’ win over the Steelers:
