The Buffalo Bills play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon from Highmark Stadium in a crucial AFC showdown. The Steelers come in at 1-3 on the season and the win in their opener seems like quite a while ago. For the Bills, a bounceback win was crucial last week, as this team continues to look like one of the favorites in the AFC. When these two met last season, the Bills were able to come away with the seven-point win on the road, while Buffalo has won two of the last three overall. The Steelers will be hard-pressed to come away with the win in this one and the Bills won't back down at home.
The Steelers have a long streak going when it comes to finishing the season over .500, though that seems in doubt given how this season has started for them. The Steelers sit at 1-3 and while hopes were high after beating the Bengals in the opener, three straight losses since have seriously taken their toll on the team and the fanbase. Injuries and lackluster play from offseason acquisitions haven't helped but considering how weak their schedule has been of late, to lose all of their last three games is a shock. Against the Jets, a late-game collapse doomed them, while against Cleveland and New England, an overall inability to make timely plays was the issue. Now that they head on the road to Buffalo, things look potentially even bleaker for them to turn things around.
It doesn't help matters that the Steelers have quite a few injuries to worry about as they head into the weekend as well. On the offensive side of things, Diontae Johnson (hip) is questionable, while Mason Cole (foot) could be a crucial miss on an already thin offensive line. Defensively, the secondary has a handful of players questionable, and with TJ Watt (pectoral) remaining out, their ability to stop Buffalo in this one remains a concern.
'Kenny is a competitive guy. He is a great leader. He is a student of the game. That is who Kenny is. All of the things he has been advertised is, he is. Kenny is just Kenny. He plays with an edge.' – Offensive coordinator Matt Canada
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— Teresa Varley (@Teresa_Varley) October 6, 2022
Plenty of eyes in the NFL have been firmly on the quarterback situation developing in Pittsburgh. It appears after Mitch Trubisky's slow start to the season, that it'll be Kenny Pickett getting his first NFL start. Pickett had an interesting debut last week, finding the end zone twice on the ground but also throwing three interceptions. The hope is that with a week of practice under his belt, they can find a way for him to take better care of the ball. In the end, the offense is at its best with Najee Harris finding success and an early emphasis on the ground game will be expected in this one.
As mentioned earlier, injuries on the defensive side of things have this group struggling, especially with a trip to Buffalo on the docket. The injury to Watt is a massive blow, though, with Minkah Fitzpatrick (3 interceptions) questionable to go as well, the Steelers' lack of depth could be on full display in this one. Buffalo has one of the league's best passing attacks and with Pittsburgh's struggles in that capacity on the defensive end, this seems like a prime area where the Steelers could find themselves in trouble on Sunday.