The Buffalo Bills would overcome two first half turnovers, and force two Ben Roethlisberger interceptions, in their 26-15 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Both teams would struggle sustaining drives to begin the game, as they combined for four three and outs in the first quarter. On the Bills second possession of the game, Mike Hilton would intercept a Josh Allen pass intended for Cole Beasly, giving the Steelers the ball on their 27 yard line. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to capitalize, punting the ball just three plays later. The Bills would punt on their next possession as well.
The Steelers took over at their 23 yard line a little more than halfway through the quarter. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would find JuJu Smith-Schuster for a big gain of 13, then later, connect with JuJu again for a first down to get them past midfield. However, their drive would stall and would punt for the fourth time in the quarter.
After forcing a Bills punt at the start of the second quarter, the Steelers got off to a promising start on their next drive, as Big Ben found JuJu for a 20 yard gain to move them once again near midfield. However, the Steelers’ drops would rear its ugly head again on Sunday, as Eric Ebron dropped what looked like a third down conversion, forcing the Steelers to punt once again.
The Steelers defense would force another Bills turnover on Buffalo’s ensuing possession. Allen would find Dawson Knox, who catches the pass, loses it mid-air, and deflects to Steelers defense back Cameron Sutton, who recovered the fumble. The turnover gave the Steelers the ball at the Bills’ 30 yard line.
Four plays later, the Steelers would cash in, as Roethlisberger finds James Washington for a 19 yard touchdown. It gave the Steelers a 7-0 lead with 8:26 left in the second quarter.
After both teams traded punts on the next two possessions, the Bills were finally able to move the ball on the Steelers. Josh Allen would find Stefon Diggs for a 23 yard gain on an early third down to get the Bills past midfield. A roughing the passer call on Steelers defensive lineman Henry Mondeaux moved the Bills into the redzone. However, the defense would stand tall and force a field goal attempt. Bills kicker Tyler Bass would connect on a 34 yard field goal that cut the Steelers lead to 7-3 with 1:46 left in the first half.
The Bills defense would come up huge on the Steelers next possession. After moving the ball near midfield, Ben Roethlisberger would be intercepted by Taron Johnson, who would take it 51 yards for a touchdown. The Bills would miss the extra point, but would take a 9-7 lead into halftime.
Big Ben would finish the half completing 11 of 22 for 103 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while Josh Allen completed 10 of 23 passes, for 76 yards and one interception as well. Neither team would finish with more than 40 rushing yards in the first half.
The Bills offense would pick up where it left off right before halftime. Allen would find Stefon Diggs early and often on the opening drive of the second half, including a 19 yard connection that would result in a touchdown. That score would put the Bills up 16-7.
After forcing a Steelers three and out, the Allen-Diggs connection would go right back to work. Completions of 22 and 19 yards to Diggs would put the Bills back in the red zone. Two plays later, Allen would find Gabriel Davis for a 13 yard touchdown, giving the Bills a 23-7 lead with 7:02 left in the third quarter.
After both teams traded punts, the Steelers offense would take over just before the start of the fourth quarter. The offense would finally gain some rhythm, as Roethlisberger would complete passes to Ebron and Johnson for 17 yard gains, moving them into the redzone. Roethlisberger would cap off the drive with a three yard touchdown to Smith-Schuster, then find Ebron on the two point conversion to cut the Bills lead to 23-15 with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
However, the Bills would answer with a long drive of their own to bleed some clock and preserve their lead. Allen would find his man Isaiah McKenzie for a big third down conversion to keep the drive alive. Then, later, Bills tight end Dawson Knox would draw a pass interference on Mike Hilton to put the Bills on the one yard line. Their drive would stall, though, as the Steelers defense would force a Bills field goal. Bass connected from 23 yards to extend their lead to 26-15 with 8:07 left in the fourth.
The Steelers next drive would be cut short by an interception. Big Ben took a shot down field to James Washington, but would be picked off by Levi Wallace. The Bills would take over at their 29 yard line with just over seven minutes left in the game.
The Bills would pick up four first downs and run out the clock, securing their 26-15 win over the Steelers. Ben Roesthlisberger would finish the game completing 21 of 37 passes, 187 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Allen finished 24 of 43 passes, 238 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
The Steelers, who are now 11-2, will face the Cincinnati Bengals next Monday night at 8:15 ET.
