Steelers player of the week vs. Bills in Week 1: Cameron Sutton

Despite coming into Week 1 as underdogs to the talented Bills, the Steelers defense, headlined by Cameron Sutton, lead the team to an upset victory.

While the whole Pittsburgh Steelers defense played a solid Week 1game against an explosive Buffalo Bills offense, cornerback Cameron Sutton‘s play in Week 1 stood out above the rest.

His play was extremely impressive especially after some questioned if he was capable of handling the load as the starting cornerback outside along with Joe Haden after the team parted ways with Steven Nelson this offseason.

On the game, Sutton chipped in five solo tackles, two tackles for loss, and two pass breakups. Sutton and the rest of the Steelers defense held the Bills offense, led by quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs who which averaged 31.3 points per game in 2020, to 16 points in Pittsburgh’s 23-16 upset victory.

While Sutton got beat by Bills wide receiver Gabriel Davis for the game’s first touchdown, Sutton had great coverage on the play, and Allen merely fit the ball into an extremely tight window.

However, aside from that play, Sutton’s play was impeccable in this game, headlined by his huge tackle for loss on 4th-and-1 early in the fourth quarter.

Down 10-6 and facing a 4th-and-1 with 13:42 remaining in the game, and in Pittsburgh territory against Allen, the Steelers were in a difficult spot. Allen and the Bills opted for a trick play despite being in a jumbo set, but Sutton wasn’t fooled, making the perfect read on the play and tackling wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie for a loss on the play, in what was the turning point of the game.

Had the Bills converted on the fourth down there early in the fourth quarter, any additional yardage would’ve likely put them in field-goal range while taking precious time off of the clock late in the game.

Instead, the stop shifted the momentum in the Steelers’ favor, as Pittsburgh outscored the Bills 17-6 the rest of the game, en route to an opening-day victory.

While EDGEs T.J. Watt and Melvin Ingram each had strong games in their own right, Sutton takes home the honor of Still Curtain’s Player of the Week for Week 1.

Sutton and the Steelers defense will look to continue their winning ways next week in their home opener at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 19 against the Las Vegas Raiders, who are led by quarterback Derek Carr and running back Josh Jacobs.