The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering their wild-card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills as massive underdogs. Oddsmakers in Las Vegas have the Bills favored by 10 points, which is by far the biggest spread in the first round of the playoffs. The Bills will be playing at home in a cold-weather game.
DT Cameron Heyward spoke to the media before practice on Wednesday and was asked about the Steelers being given little chance by oddsmakers.
“We don’t really care about 10-point underdogs,” Heyward said in a clip posted by 93.7 The Fan on X. “That’s for Vegas and all the other naysayers out there. We’re excited to be in this opportunity. We understand that the 10-point underdog [designation] doesn’t decide the game.”
Other than the difference in pedigree between the teams’ quarterbacks, both teams have had similar seasons. At times it looked like it was going to be a lost season, but each team went on a necessary win streak to end the season and qualify for the tournament. The Steelers are coming off three-straight wins while the Bills are coming off five straight—the two biggest streaks on the AFC side entering the tournament.
All the talk has mostly been centered on the Bills having an easy path through the playoffs with the Steelers up first, but Heyward says the team doesn’t care about numbers on a sportsbook.
“It’s in between the lines, and it’s the team that executes, the team that wins the turnover battle, the team that wins the rushing battle. Those are the things that matter. The 10-point underdog is just a whole lotta nonsense to us,” Heyward said.
With the game in cold weather, that could give a slight advantage to the Steelers. They just came off a miserable cold and rainy game in Week 18, and were one of the top rushing offenses over the second half of the season. RB Najee Harris’ build as a ball carrier is great for cold weather and his ball security throughout his career has been stellar.
Yeah, the Steelers may be 1-10 without Watt since he was drafted, but they also have never had this much depth at outside linebacker. In years past the group was thin behind Watt and Alex Highsmith, but this year the Steelers have nine-year veteran Markus Golden, who has had double-digit sack totals three times. There is also rookie OLB Nick Herbig, who has made a big impact in limited opportunities.
