In Week 2 of the preseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be hosting the Buffalo Bills. This will be a rematch of their AFC Wild Card game and will follow their joint practice on August 15, though the stakes are far lower this time around.
Both the Bills and the Steelers will be looking to escape this contest without any major injuries, as the start of the 2024 regular season is just weeks away. This will be a good contest for Pittsburgh after their lackluster performance against the Texans in the preseason opener -- a game that saw the Steelers trailing 17-0 at halftime.
Recently, I had a chance to catch up with BuffaLowDown Site Expert Brandon Ray, who covers the Bills. Ray shared his thoughts on Buffalo's breakout candidates, notable players, best positional groups, and more ahead of the Bills' preseason matchup against the Steelers.
Steelers vs. Bills: Notes and insight ahead of Preseason Week 2
1.) Who are the biggest breakout candidates on the Bills’ roster in 2024?
The biggest breakout candidates for the Bills roster in preseason are WR Tyrell Shavers and CB Kaiir Elam. Shavers has done a fantastic job at making his case to be the last receiver brought onto the final 53-man roster and it could put a player like Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the hot seat. With Elam, the third-year CB is not only making a case to be on the roster but could even challenge Christian Benford for the CB2 spot.
2.) Which notable Bills players must step up their preseason performance against the Steelers?
Almost the entire offensive and defensive line has a lot of improvement to make as both units were utterly dominated by the Bears in their first preseason game. As far as specific players, WR KJ Hamler needs to improve on his ball security, and WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who had a ridiculous drop in the first preseason game. He has been off to a shaky start.
3.)What are the best positional groups on the Bills roster heading into preseason Week 2?
Heading into Week 2, the Bills didn’t get a lot of great reps against the Bears but their outside pressure presence on the defense collapsed the pocket a couple of times. Guys like Javon Solomon and A.J. Epenesa are exciting to watch because they are more of the speed rushers rather than strength. In addition, the cornerback room has a ton of promise but we will need to see how the depth will shape out.
Where should the Steelers look to exploit the Bills on both offense and defense this week?
Buffalo’s wide receiver core has a great amount of speed, but separation has been an issue. Keon Coleman is still working on it and if it were not for Khalil Shakir’s speed, he wouldn’t be as open as he should be. On the defense, the middle of the defensive line has been inconsistent so the Steelers have a great chance at establishing the run in between the tackles.