Steelers seek to rebound against Bills

Pittsburgh coach expects better from players after their first loss of season

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.— Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott wouldn’t go as far as to describe Mike Tomlin’s sometimes gruff demeanour as intimidating.

“I just think he’s got a real good personality and a good way with words,” McDermott said, referring to the Pittsburgh Steelers coach, whom he has known since the two were teammates at William & Mary. “He always has a way of putting a buzz on the verbiage he uses.

“I’ve always had a lot of respect for him that way.”

In noting the influence Tomlin, a team captain, had on him as a walk-on safety in 1993, McDermott reflected back with Buffalo (9-3) preparing to host Pittsburgh (11-1) in a showdown of AFC division leaders on Sunday night.

At the very least, McDermott said, Tomlin had a way of getting his message across.

No different than this week, perhaps. Tomlin minced no words in assessing the Steelers’ deficiencies following their first loss of the season. Pittsburgh turned the ball over twice on downs and another on an interception in squandering a 14-0 lead in a 23-17 loss to Washington on Monday.

Tomlin called Pittsburgh’s inability to score on five attempts from Washington’s one-yard line as “catastrophic.” He called out his receivers for dropping too many passes by saying: “They can catch the ball or they can get replaced by those who will catch it.” And he questioned his usually stout defence for being the “less dominants” in the second half, when Washington scored on four of six possessions, including the last three.

Tomlin wouldn’t apologize if he came off as being blunt.

“I just try to tell the truth and identify problems,” he said. “We’ve got to get to work with fixing them. If you perceive it as blunt, then that’s the reason why.”

Expectations are high in Pittsburgh for a team in position to clinch its first AFC North title and playoff berth in three years.

It’s no different in Buffalo, where the Bills are seeking to claim their first AFC East title since 1995.

While the Steelers are accustomed to success, having won two Super Bowls and never finishing below .500 in Tomlin’s 14 seasons, the Bills are relative newcomers to late-season playoff races before McDermott’s arrival in 2017.

McDermott, along with GM Brandon Beane, have transformed a franchise that was in the midst of a 17-year playoff drought — which at the time stood as the longest active streak in North America’s four major pro sports. The Bills are now poised to clinch their third playoff berth in four years.

Safety Micah Hyde noted how the team’s confidence has grown, with players now openly discussing Super Bowl aspirations for a team that has not won a playoff game since the 1995 post-season.

“We talk about winning the Super Bowl and we mean it,” Hyde said. “Yeah, I think we’re ready to take the next step.”

For now, he’ll settle on beating the Steelers.

“I don’t really see it as a measuring stick because at the end of the day we want to be playing our best football going into January,” Hyde said. “But it’s December, and we want to play our best football now also.”