Steelers dug their own grave with crucial first-half turnovers
One thing that I was adamant about all week long is how the Pittsburgh Steelers could not afford to lose the turnover battle in this contest. On the Still Curtain Podcast last week, my co-host Shayne Kubas and I agreed that, in order to have a shot in this contest, the Steelers would need to take great care of the football while managing to go +2 in the turnover department.
Unfortunately, this went the opposite direction. After the Bills drove the length of the field and scored on their first offensive possession, Pittsburgh gift-wrapped the ball back to Josh Allen and company with a George Pickens fumble. The recovery by Buffalo set them up in great field position, and they scored on the very next play with a pass over the middle of the field to TE Dalton Kincaid.
Just when it looked like the Steelers were about to rally back with a touchdown of their own, QB Mason Rudolph threw an interception in the endzone while targeting WR Diontae Johnson. Two turnovers are all it took for Buffalo to jump out to an early 21-0 lead.
With the Steelers missing their best player in T.J. Watt, we knew that they couldn't afford to lose the turnover battle if they wanted to compete with a better team and a better quarterback. Pittsburgh went -2 in this department, and that's essentially all she wrote.