With the recent switch from four to three preseason games, NFL teams are navigating when to play their starters. Under the old format, the third exhibition game, two weeks before the regular season, was generally thought of as the “tune-up” game. Now, each team has their own philosophy. For the Buffalo Bills in Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Sean McDermott says QB Josh Allen and Buffalo’s starters will see at least a quarter of action.
Per Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper via WGRZ’s Jonathan Acosta.
“Head coach Sean McDermott said on Thursday that Allen and the rest of the team’s starters will be in the lineup against the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Saturday evening. McDermott said that the first-teamers will play about a quarter and a half before giving way to the team’s reserves.”
If all goes according to plan, the Bills’ starters will play midway into the second quarter before giving way to the backups. Meaning as long as everyone is healthy, big names like Allen, WR Stefon Diggs and others will see action for a good chunk of this game. Notable defensive players include LB Matt Milano and NCB Taron Johnson, two of the most underrated players in the league.
Mike Tomlin will speak with the media later on Thursday morning and may announce his intentions about his starters, though he’s often pretty vague about how much Pittsburgh’s top names will play. Last week, Kenny Pickett and the starting offense played a series while many veteran defensive players, like Patrick Peterson, Cam Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick, were held out. They could see their first action this weekend.
The two teams squared off in the regular season last year, a blowout victory for the Bills. In Pickett’s first NFL start, a tough matchup on the road, the Steelers were rolled 38-3 in one of their worst defeats in recent memory. WR Gabe Davis had a 98-yard touchdown to get the Bills’ scoring started and they didn’t look back, racking up 552 yards of total offense in the victory.
Pittsburgh and Buffalo kick off at 6:30 PM/EST Saturday night. The Steelers have a quick turnaround to play their preseason finale on August 24 against the Atlanta Falcons, a road game for Pittsburgh. The Steelers are 1-0 on the preseason after knocking off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27-17, last Friday.
