Buffalo Bills Better Than Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, 26-15

Buffalo Bills needed to make a statement, and their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football looked like one. Sean McDermott’s guys beat the guests who were the No.1 team in the AFC before the match, 26-15, stripping them of that status, while also taking a step towards their first landmark in a long time.

Bills could secure the AFC East title already next week, and in order to do so, they would need to beat the Broncos in Denver and see the Dolphins losing their matchup against the New England Patriots.

“We’re starving for more, we want more for ourselves,” stated Steffon Diggs, who caught 130 receiving yards in 10 receptions for one TD.

The prolific wide receiver, who came from Minnesota Vikings during the offseason, has breached the 100-reception mark in this campaign and is not tied with Eric Moulds on the all-time franchise list.

His Bills made a push in the third period that saw him and Gabriel Davis delivering one score each, which allowed the home team to create not only a solid advantage, but the momentum as well.

All that was kicked off with Taron Johnson’s interception, 52 seconds before the end of the halftime. It led to the cornerback’s 57-yard touchdown return, and the Bills’ first lead of the game, 9-7. From that moment on, they never looked back.

It is possible that Johnson’s late shock affected the guests who were looking deflated early on in the second half. After a pale third quarter, the Steelers bounced back at the start of the fourth, with JuJu Smith-Schuster catching a three-yard pass from Big Ben.

Instead of continuing in the same manner, Roethlisberger made another mistake, this one definitely putting an end to the Steelers’ hopes for winning the match. The two-time Super Bowl winner was picked again, and that was the last time he was on the field, as Josh Allen kept the possession until the time expired.

“We need to look in the mirror, and it starts with me,” Roethlisberger said. “I need to play better football because the ball is in my hands every single play. When it’s in my hands, I need to make the best decision. Right now, I’m not playing well enough football to win.”

He had 187 passing yards, 21-for-37, two touchdown passes, and two interceptions. Smith-Schuster and James Washington both had a touchdown catch.

James Conner reflected the entire Steelers’ crew, posting one very pale and inefficient performance. The 2018 Pro-Bowl selection had humiliating 18 yards on 10 carries. Overall the Steelers rushed 17 times for 47 yards.

After suffering an upsetting defeat to Washington FC at home in the previous round, things are not looking very bright for the Steelers following this matchup. The Chiefs jumped over them in the AFC, which means that they won’t have a week bye in the first round of the playoffs. Furthermore, losing against the Bills suggests that they have one win more than the Buffalo team, who is 10-3.

The Steelers have a clash against the weak Bengals next week and then host the AFC South leaders, Indianapolis Colts.

As for the Bills, they are able to win the division title for the first time since 1995. Their first step towards that is beating the Broncos and, after that, the New England Patriots. Apart from winning the AFC East, they are also in combination to reach the second or even the top seed in the conference, which gives them an additional motive to go strong in the last three rounds.