Bills (9-4) at Steelers (8-5)
Steelers schedule
L ... at New England ... 33-3 L .......... Seattle .......... 28-26 L ..... atSanFran . ..... 24-20 W ....... Cincinnati ....... 27-3 L .... Baltimore .... 26-23 OT W . at L.A. Chargers . 24-17
BYE
W .......... Miami .......... 27-14 W .... Indianapolis .... 26-24 W ...... L.A. Rams ...... 17-12 L ...... at Cleveland ...... 21-7 W .... at Cincinnati .... 16-10 W ...... Cleveland ...... 20-13 W ...... atArizona ...... 23-17 Dec. 15 ..... Buffalo ..... 8:20 Dec. 22 .... at N.Y. Jets .... 1 Dec. 29 ... at Baltimore ... 1
Sunday, 7:20 pm
Field, Pittsburgh
TV: NBC
Danny Sheridan’s line: by 11⁄2
Bills’ keys to victory: Buffalo has to figure out a way to use tempo to wear down the Steelers’ defense. When that group is fresh it can terrorize any quarterback, even one as athletic as Josh Allen. Containing LBs T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree will be job one for Buffalo’s offensive line. For the Bills’ defense, it will be all about slowing down QB Devlin Hodges. As he gets more confident, the Steelers’ coaches are opening up the playbook for him and he has responded. Making Hodges uncomfortable and forcing him to make mistakes would give the Bills more opportunities on offense.
Steelers’ keys to victory: At this point the Steelers are a team with an average offense and an elite defense. The offense has to continue to evolve and expand so it can sustain drives and give the defense a chance to rest. This means RBs Benny Snell Jr. and Jaylen Samuels have to get going early. Defensively, the Steelers have to focus their attention on the Bills’ Allen and be smart with their pass rush, and they also must create turnovers and give the offense short fields.
Matchup to watch: Bills WR John Brown vs. Steelers CB Joe Haden. Brown has flourished in Buffalo, and the element of speed he brings is a matchup nightmare. Haden is the Steelers’ best coverage cornerback and could find himself chasing Brown around all game long.
Who wins? This is a matchup as close as these two teams’ records. Look for this game to be close, very physical but in the end too much for the Steelers.
Bills, 28-21
ET,
Heinz
Steelers