Steelers vs. Bills: 4 Buffalo players fans should watch out for

Bills QB Josh Allen is a threat to Steelers defense

After two years of inconsistent play, the 2018 seventh-overall NFL Draft pick, Josh Allen, broke out in a big way in 2020.

He passed for 4,544 yards, 37 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions, all while leading the Bills to a 13-3 record and the AFC East title. The talent has always been there, and he finally put it all together.

Allen’s biggest improvement by far was his accuracy, completing over 69 percent of his passes after never even reaching the 60-percent mark previously. The previously mentioned Stefon Diggs certainly helped him thrive, but Allen deserves a lot of credit for how far he has come.

Despite his impressive season, one of his weaker performances of the year came against the Steelers’ vaunted defense. He completed only 24 of 43 passes (55.81 percent) for just 238 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. While it was enough to get the win, it was more of a defensive slug-fest than anything else.

With the Steelers new revamped offense, the Bills will likely need much more out of Allen this time around if they want to walk away with a victory.

Allen has only gotten better in each of his first three seasons, so expecting another sub-par performance is not the smart bet. Pittsburgh’s defense will need to play smart and not allow him to create big plays out of the pocket, all while making him pay if he tries to gain yards on the ground.

Many people are still not sold on Allen, and I’m sure he’s well aware of that. He knows a big-time showing against a defense against which he hasn’t played his best would be a great way to silence critics.

The Steelers know it, too, and they should be hyped for the chance to finally beat him.