ORCHARD PARK, NY – The NFL posted a memo on Wednesday describing various scenarios where the top teams of each conference could occupy a playoff spot in Week 14 – a list of the Buffalo Bills (9-3) .
Two years ago, the chatter about the Bills this time of year revolved around who to pick with their eventual top 10 picks in the 2018 NFL draft. Buffalo fans are now considering whether to go for the Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) to beat the Miami Dolphins (8-4) and extend the Bills’ lead at the AFC East, or for a Miami win, which would increase Buffalos chances of taking the AFC’s No. 1.
How things are changing.
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While life is good for the bills, they didn’t stamp themselves as Super Bowl contenders. Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) is a chance to compete against the best of the conference after they beat the leaders of the AFC division – the Tennessee Titans (Week 5) in their last two games and the Chiefs (week 6) stalled).
Their win over the San Francisco 49ers (5-7) on Monday night was impressive but faced a hobbling NFC team. A prime-time win over the Steelers (11-1) would set the tone for a critical final of the four regular season games and give Buffalo a unique win over a conference opponent.
Bill’s trainer Sean McDermott said what defines the Steelers elite starts with his counterpart, trainer Mike Tomlin.
“What you see at the Steelers is you see Mike’s personality on the team,” said McDermott. “He’s got a very dynamic personality, he’s … great and I think you can see that in your soccer team. They play at a high level, they play well week after week and they are led by one of them I think the greatest coaches took care of our game in Mike. “
It’s a rematch of Buffalo’s last season playoff win. While it is about a playoff spot, this is where the similarities between the two games end, as both teams are drastically different from their 2019 versions.
The Bills have won five of their last six games with their only loss due to a Hail Mary pass. Mark J. Rebilas / USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh are fresh into the game on Sunday after their first loss of the season after a series of close calls. While the Steelers play the NFL’s easiest schedule yet, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), they represent the Bills’ toughest remaining test. And Buffalo is playing better preparing for the Steelers than it did against the Titans and Chiefs.
As of week 9, the Bills have had the highest scoring offense in the NFL with 33.8 points per game and the second best offense at 302.5 meters per game. In particular, quarterback Josh Allen’s play put him back on MVP talk after winning his third AFC Offensive Player of the Week award in Week 13.
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Defensively, the Bills are bleeding yards at first sight, allowing for the second highest number of yards per game in the NFL since week 9, most of which come in the fourth quarter when they’ve allowed a league high of 127.5 yards per game. However, Buffalo owns the fourth-best fourth-quarter defense in the league and is responsible for leading the table on fourth-quarter sales.
Buffalo’s Pass Rush has done its job for the past four weeks, ranking 10th on Sacks and fourth on Pass Rush Win Rate.
“Probably in the last five or six weeks just to see how much better we play from an aggressive, offensive point of view and when we take the football away it stands out and that’s how you win games,” said Bill’s defensive coordinator Leslie Said Frazier. “We have improved so much in the third red zone. We do some things that affect the game and give you the chance to win.”
“Statistically, the shipyards won’t show that. [San Francisco] have so many scrapyards [Monday] late in the fourth quarter and some third late game losses. You may not have the statistics to show you are helping the team win, but that shows the way the guys play. “
The Bills need to be at their best against Pittsburgh, which the NFL leads on takeaways and points allowed this season, while ranking in the top 10 against both the run and the pass. There’s an opportunity for Buffalo’s defense to shine on Sunday as the Steelers’ offense ranks 21st in the NFL, even with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who skipped the competition last year.
“We definitely need to do more work here and more meat on the bones,” said McDermott, pointing to Buffalo’s room for improvement. “I think the coaches … they did a great job developing the players we have on our squad. And you can’t say that in every place, and you can’t say that every season.
“The players, as they appreciate, have really embraced the growth mindset and some of those conversations are difficult and some are truthful conversations but they are necessary.”
