As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to go on the road to face the Buffalo Bills this Sunday, the Bills are looking to do the exact same thing as they look to redeem last year’s home loss to Pittsburgh in the regular season opener here in Week 5.
HC Sean McDermott as well as QB Josh Allen, EDGE Von Miller, and WR Stefon Diggs were interviewed this week about their upcoming matchup with Pittsburgh and were asked about various players, including rookie QB Kenny Pickett, who is getting his first career start Sunday as well as S Minkah Fitzpatrick and EDGE Alex Highsmith, who are off to hot starts this season.
Stefon Diggs was also asked about Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin and the impact he provides, to which Diggs gave Tomlin a ton of credit for being one of the leagues’ best coaches.
“Top 3, Top 2,” Diggs said ranking Tomlin as transcribed by Steelers.com writer Teresa Varley. “He is a defensive mind. He has always had a great offense, but his defense is what kept that thing going. They spend a lot of money on defense. They’re down a guy right now. Everybody knows that. You can kind of see it. But the guys replacing him aren’t slouches. I think one of the guys leads the league in sacks right now.”
Diggs pointed to reigning Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt currently being out for Pittsburgh with a pec injury suffered Week 1 against the Bengals, but praised Tomlin’s ability to get the defense to rally even when the circumstances haven’t been the best. Alex Highsmith currently sits second in the league with 5.5 sacks and DL DeMarvin Leal has shown flashes when asked to play on the edge in Watt’s place in recent weeks.
While Tomlin has primarily been known for being a defensive mind and often being the play-caller in-game, his defense hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations this season. Diggs did Tomlin and the Steelers a solid commending their offense from a few years ago, but this simply isn’t the same Steelers team that ranked near the top of the AFC standings for several years in the 2010s.
The defense currently ranks 24th in the NFL in total yards allowed, being middle of the pack against the pass (21st) and the run (24th). They have struggled in the waning moments of games thus far, having a tough time getting off the field on possession downs to give the ball back to the offense for a chance to close out games.
It’s great to see a player of Stefon Diggs’ caliber praising Tomlin and the Steelers, but frankly, that haven’t deserved the praise given to them, at least not yet this season. Hopefully, Tomlin and the Steelers can get this thing turned around to salvage their season and playoff hopes, but they will face an uphill battle to do so starting this weekend against a talented Bills team in Buffalo.
