This isn't what the Pittsburgh Steelers needed. We knew that Mike Tomlin's team needed to come out of the gate swinging in order to have a chance in this Wild Card game. Unfortunately, that's not what happened.
The Steelers got the ball to begin the game, and they gave us signs of life early. However, after getting mid-field, Pittsburgh stalled out and was forced to punt. On the next series, the QB Josh Allen completed 5 of 5 passes to march his team down the field for a touchdown to go up 7-0.
On Pittsburgh's next series, they stalled once more, but on the following Bills drive, the Steelers got the stop they needed. Tomlin's team had a chance to even the score with a good drive. That's when disaster struck.
Mason Rudolph threw a pass on a quick out to WR George Pickens, but he failed to come down with it. After being ruled an incomplete pass on the field, Buffalo challenged that Pickens had fumbled, and the play was overturned. On the very next play after the Bills got the ball back, Allen threw a strike over the middle of the field to TE Dalton Kincaid for a score.
In order to have a catch, you must have:
— Gene Steratore (@GeneSteratore) January 15, 2024
- Possession of the ball
- 2 feet down in bounds
- A football move or time to commit to commit a football move
In #PITvsBUF, Pickens secures the catch with 2 feet down and then lunged forward. The act of lunging forward constitutes a… pic.twitter.com/cCEC4IhaXH
This made it a 14-0. The fact that Buffalo went up big so early in the game will completely change the game plan of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh shot themselves in the foot and has a huge hole to climb out of.
Shortly after, Pat Freiermuth made a big play down the left sideline, but as he tried to gain extra yardage, he lost the ball going to the ground. One more, Buffalo challenged the play. This time, they lost, as there wasn't conclusive evidence that Freiermuth didn't touch the ball while out of bounds. This could have been the dagger.
Steelers might've just made another massive mistake. Rudolph found Pat Freiermuth for a 33-yard gain, but he fumbled it out of bounds at the end of the run.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) January 15, 2024
Buffalo challenging.
The start of the Steelers vs. Bills Wild Card game was a sucker punch to the gut. This isn't what fans were hoping for. Let's hope they can find a way to turn things around and give us a good game.
There's still a lot of football left. Time to make the necessary adjustments and show that the Pittsburgh Steelers deserve to be in the NFL Playoffs.