The Pittsburgh Steelers enter Week 13 facing a must-win scenario, and for once, the football gods may be handing them a timely advantage. Both of the Buffalo Bills’ starting offensive tackles — Spencer Brown and Dion Dawkins — have been ruled out for Sunday’s matchup.
For a Steelers team clawing for postseason survival in an unforgiving month, that news could not have come at a better time.
December is where successful NFL franchises separate themselves. It’s the stretch where resilience matters more than statistics, and where execution becomes the only currency that still holds value. Players and coaches understand that invitations to the postseason aren’t earned in September; they’re secured in these final, pressure-packed weeks.
For Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers, there is simply no margin left for error.
Recent losses to the Bears, Chargers, and Bengals have pushed the team far below the expectations of an already restless fanbase. Add in the injury to Broderick Jones, and you begin to understand the frustration and uncertainty hovering over Steelers Nation heading into Week 13. What once felt like a season of potential has quickly turned into a weekly test of grit and identity.
And now comes the next test — stopping Josh Allen, a former MVP and one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks the league has ever seen. For a defense that has struggled with consistency, a meeting with Allen could be daunting. But the Bills will not be at full strength.
With Dawkins and Brown sidelined, the Steelers may finally have the upper hand in a matchup that will hinge on one thing: pressure.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are being gifted a much-needed handicap against the Buffalo Bills
This season, Teryl Austin’s defense has lived under a microscope.
At times, the group has folded in crucial moments, leaving fans and even players with a sour taste. Those performances were uncharacteristic for a unit built on toughness and discipline. But if you looked only at their sack production, you’d think this defense was as dominant as ever.
Pittsburgh ranks fifth in the NFL in sacks per game (3.1) — an impressive jump from the 2.3 sacks per game they recorded last year.
Much of that improvement is tied to the emergence of Jack Sawyer and Derrick Harmon, who have injected energy into the front seven. Paired with Alex Highsmith, and a timely return to form from T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward, the Steelers have assembled a pass-rushing nightmare for opposing teams. And against a Bills squad missing both starting tackles, that nightmare becomes even more frightening.
Defusing the pocket is Pittsburgh’s clearest — and possibly only — path to victory.
Josh Allen enters Week 13 ranked sixth in the NFL in times sacked (28). He’s hung onto the football longer this season, scrambled more often, and forced plays out of desperation. With two backup tackles protecting him, that tendency could become Buffalo’s downfall.
The Steelers must exploit that desperation. They must win on the edge, collapse the pocket, and force Allen into mistakes. If they cannot capitalize on this gift of mismatches and momentum, then the chances of extending their season may be slim to none.