Bills beat sloppy Steelers
Allen throws two TD passes in home victory
Orchard Park Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and safety Taron
Johnson returned an interception 51 yards for a score in the Buffalo Bills’ 26-15 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.
The Bills won for the sixth time in seven outings, and inched closer to claiming their first AFC East title since 1995 and third playoff berth in four seasons. Buffalo can clinch both as early as Monday night if Baltimore loses to Cleveland.
The AFC North-leading Steelers (11-2) have lost consecutive games in six days following a 23-17 loss to Washington, and dropped a game behind the Afc-leading Kansas City Chiefs (12-1). Pittsburgh was still able to clinch its first playoff berth in three years before kickoff by virtue of the Miami Dolphins’ 33-27 loss to Kansas City earlier in the day.
The Bills have won at least 10 of their first 13 games of a season for the first time since 1991.
Allen broke the game open by throwing touchdown passes 3:21 apart on Buffalo’s first two drives of the second half to put Buffalo ahead 23-7.
He opened the third quarter by capping Buffalo’s eight-play, 68-yard drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs. After the Steelers went three-and-out, Allen marched the Bills on a four-play, 57-yard drive ending with him hitting rookie Gabriel Davis for a 13yard touchdown just inside the left sideline of the end zone.
Allen increased his season total to 35 combined touchdowns (28 passing, six rushing and one receiving ) to break the team’s single-season record of 34 set by Hall of Famer Jim Kelly in 1991. His 28 TDS passing rank second most on the team list, and five behind the single-season record set by Kelly in 1991.
Allen finished 24-for-43 for 238 yards and an interception. Diggs had 10 catches for 130 yards. Acquired in a trade with Minnesota in March, Diggs now
has 100 catches to match the Bills’ single-season record set by Eric Moulds in 2002.
Buffalo’s second-half eruption came after Allen and the offense managed just six first downs and 102 yards on seven possessions.
Johnson, however, provided the offense by stepping in front of Ben Roethlisberger’s pass
intended for Juju SmithSchuster and returned it 51 yards to put Buffalo up 9-7 with 52 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Steelers continue to resemble nothing of the team that set a franchise record by winning its first 11 games. Pittsburgh has been held under 20 points in three straight games,
and was coming off a loss to Washington in which coach Mike Tomlin called out his team’s sluggish running attack and receivers for their dropping passes.
The Steelers also finished with 47 yards rushing despite the return of James Conner, who missed the past two games on the reserve/covid -19 list.