Steelers vs. Bills: 5 burning questions for Pittsburgh’s Sunday night showdown

Will James Conner play?

The Steelers completed their week of practice and they have their official game designations. Vance McDonald and Juju Smith-Schuster are listed as out and James Conner is listed as questionable.

I have a feeling that James Conner will dress for this game as he has practiced fully all three practices this week. That is usually a sign that he is going to dress.

There is an aspect of this situation to consider and that is that Conner has reinjured that shoulder. I think the Steelers will only dress Conner if they think that the shoulder in fully healed and that he won’t reinjure it. The Steelers will want Conner for the playoffs and have been winning without him.

It will help to get your running back to return in a game where defense will be good on both sides. This game may come down to controlling the ball and running the ball is the best way to hold onto the ball as well as control the clock.

The Black & Gold have a big test this week and it could say a lot about whether this is a playoff team. A win would put the Steelers in a much better position for the playoffs as they would gain the advantage over the Bills and stay ahead of the Titans.

I think a big factor in this game is the performance of Devlin Hodges and the passing game. If the Steelers can get production from James Washington and Diontae Johnson then they should be in a good position to win.

They will be relying on their defense to create turnovers this week as the Bills defense will keep them in the game. Every turnover matters in a game that should be a close matchup.

Action Network has Pittsburgh favored by one point and so that is an indication of how close this game should be. Every drive matters and neither team is a big favorite. The Bills have the better record but the Steelers have played better as of late.

This team is exciting and is right there in the thick of a playoff race. There will be no opportunity to rest the team the rest of the way as the Steelers will be playing on Wild Card weekend if they keep winning.

This type of competition is why Pittsburgh fans should be excited. Every win will increase their playoff odds while every loss will decrease them. They really are in must-win territory the rest of the way. I would rate this game in the must-win category as an 8 out of 10. Stay tuned.