4 best moments from the Steelers Week 14 loss vs. Bills

The Steelers vs. Bills game had some highs in the first half, but it was followed by a rough second half.

I’m not quite sure what to make of the Steelers’ current squad at the moment. Alex Highsmith was obviously feeling his injury in the second half and Randy Fichtner was not ready to make adjustments to what the Bills decided to do offensively. The Bills decided to let Pittsburgh blitz 6 or 7 guys almost every play and their counter to it was to get the ball out quick to the best route runner in the AFC.

To be frank, Tyreek Hill is the only real competition Stefon Diggs has for being the best wide receiver in our contest and those two guys are far and away above the rest of the pack. When you are dealing with a player that talented as a coach you have to make adjustments knowing that leaving him in single-man coverage all game is going to lead to disastrous results. I understand they didn’t have much of another option, with fielding an inside linebacker, a practice squad player in rotation, and a converted safety with no depth behind them. Yet at some point, you have to try zone.

Pittsburgh used to be famous for their zone blitzes, and they had effective personnel to be able to dial some tricky cover 2 and cover 3 concepts sending 1 or 2 at most extra defenders to try and confuse an uber-talented but still young quarterback. Keith Butler studied under possibly the best defensive coordinator there ever was in terms of these concepts and just doing it enough to add some wrinkles to the Bills second half gameplan may have led to a much more winnable half and ultimately game. Yet there were some good moments in this game even when it was a heart-wrenching loss.

Pittsburgh hadn’t done much of anything on their first 2 possessions offensively.

Yet, neither were the Bills. After the Steelers punted, the Bills would go 3 and out. The Steelers would punt again and the Bills would get the 1st first down of the game. Yet, Josh Allen would make a mistake, throwing a lob deep. As he goes to launch a deep shot, Cameron Heyward manages to hit Allen’s arm.

I give Allen credit for getting it that far down the field while his arm was stopped short. However, the ball would land in the waiting arms of Mike Hilton. It was a good play for the Steelers defense. One would hope that it would give the Steelers some momentum to carry over on offense.

Yet, this game was looking like a defensive game throughout the first half. With the Steelers having so many injuries at some point they would need help from the offense. In the meantime, with so many injuries, Blitzburgh seemed to be able to answer the billing so far. This sequence showed that the Steelers were not going to lie down defensively no matter who was out with injury.

This was a close defensive game with a lot of punting on both sides.

Pittsburgh was continuing to shut down a Buffalo squad that had been red hot. It didn’t matter that they were missing so many key starters. They came out with a great gameplan and were focused on making it work.

They were dominant throughout the first half. They managed their second turnover by forcing a fumble. The Steelers were focused on stopping the passing attack that Buffalo was running. After forcing an interception earlier in the game they would force a fumble delivering a hard hit on Dawson Knox.

Cameron Sutton made a heads up play recovering the fumble. This was such a key play because it gave the Steelers a short field. This would lead to the next best moment of this game for the Steelers. I give the Steelers a ton of credit for their gameplan coming into this game. The Bills have An offense that is as explosive as it gets in the NFL. The fact that they were missing so many key players with injury against this offense that was almost completely healthy made this my favorite half of football the Steelers defense has played this year.

It would take until halfway through the second quarter before either team would score any points.

The Steelers had just forced a turnover to give themselves fantastic field position. After benching Diontae Johnson who was continuing to drop the ball they would bring in James Washington.

This touchdown would take a lot of pressure off of the Steelers’ playmakers. Not only that, but it gave the first lead either team would have all game. This play answered some questions about whether the offense would be able to answer the call.

After getting a little bit of momentum on offense it looked like the Steelers could have a chance to stretch the lead a little before halftime as long as the defense could continue to play like it had been all game.

After winning most of the first half and going into halftime with it being close the Bills made some plays.

The Bills would score over 20 unanswered points between the last 5 minutes of the first half and the 3rd quarter. It looked as though the Steelers were on the verge of getting decimated.

The Steelers would march down the field and score a touchdown to JuJu Smith-Schuster. They would then score a 2 point conversion to bring themselves within 1 possession. It was a great drive, one that the Steelers looked as good offensively as they had all game.

It was a good play call and the 2 point conversion was good as well. This play is what gives the Steelers a chance again to win the game. If the Steelers could force another turnover or punt and get the offense back on the field with more momentum, they could stage a comeback. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be enough to win the game. The offense has to go through a fundamental change in philosophy at this point in the season. They have to take shots and create some kind of real threat against teams that can explode and put 14-21 points up in a hurry.

I don’t think this is the end of what has been a magical season for the Steelers in 2020. They have a ton of injuries right now. I understand that the standard is still the standard but something that drives me crazy about Mike Tomlin is that a lot of this shouldn’t just be blamed on them. When you are down to starting practice squad depth in the most crucial position group of the best defense in the league you aren’t going to be able to stop most of the offenses in this league. This team revolves around its defense and its defense revolves around its linebackers. I expect them to get healthier and perform very well again come playoff time.