Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills are currently the seven seed in the AFC Playoff picture. Their opponents on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers, are currently the four seed, and lead the AFC North Division. With a win, the Bills will maintain their current pace in the playoff picture regardless of what happens with other teams, and they may even gain in the standings. With a loss, they risk falling out of the playoff picture altogether.
The stakes are fairly clear for Buffalo. They need a win badly. After dropping a 23-19 game at the Houston Texans last Thursday night, the Bills need to bounce back, and fast, if they wish to keep the dream of winning a Super Bowl alive.
Will a loss on Sunday eliminate Buffalo from playoff contention? No, it will not. Will it make their road much more difficult moving forward? Yes, it will.
As if the stakes weren’t high enough on their own, the Bills are dealing with myriad injuries, as well. Given that they were already bitten pretty hard by the proverbial injury bug, adding more possible missed games to their ledger isn’t ideal. However, it’s a reality that the Bills face.
In order to come out of Pittsburgh with a much-needed AFC victory, the Bills will need some big performances from their key players. Here are five (or so) Bills to watch this week.
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QB Josh Allen
It’s going to take an efficient, turnover-free performance from Josh Allen to win on Sunday. If the Bills can avoid turnovers, it’s likely that their offense will have enough juice to score more than the Steelers. If Buffalo gives Pittsburgh extra possessions, it’s likely that they won’t have enough firepower to overcome those extra attempts.
Last Thursday night, Allen was battered and bruised all night long. He held the ball forever while waiting in vain for his receivers to come open, and as a result, Houston’s ferocious pass rush was able to beat him up to the tune of eight sacks, a career high. Just one week prior, he looked decisive and efficient against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and while he still held the ball plenty, he made plays downfield. Such is the catch-22 of Allen’s play style, as those off-schedule plays are what make him elite, but when there are no off-schedule plays to be found, it can keep the offense well behind the sticks.
Entering the week, no team had allowed more passing yards than Pittsburgh. While they may have linebackers J.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, and a ferocious pass rush, they have not been anything close to a solid pass defense this season. Buffalo has no excuses this week, as they’ll need to move the ball effectively through the air.
WR Brandin Cooks
Hello, new friend! What will the veteran’s role be this week? The team released wide receiver Elijah Moore, wide receiver Curtis Samuel is now on Injured Reserve (IR) with elbow and ankle injuries, and Gabe Davis just signed to the 53-man active roster....
