Down the stretch of the 2023 season, all the Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to do was take care of business and get into the playoffs.
The Steelers controlled what they could control, winning the final three games of the season to get to 10-7. Then, they got some help, thanks to the Tennessee Titans defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars. That put the Steelers into the AFC playoffs as the No. 7 seed, setting up a matchup with the No. 2 Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round.
Now, entering the playoffs playing some rather strong football on both sides of the football, Pittsburgh is feeling rather good, especially entering the matchup against the Bills, a team it is quite familiar with.
Yet, from at least the national media standpoint, the Steelers are overmatched entering the Wild Card matchup against the Bills. Currently, the Steelers are 9.5-point underdogs against quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills, in large part due to the injury to star outside linebacker T.J. Watt in the regular-season finale.
But the Steelers’ style of play — running the football, limiting turnovers and getting after the opposing quarterback — works in the playoffs. Like Lloyd Christmas in “Dumb and Dumber” the Steelers have a chance, at least according to NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms.
In the latest episode of his podcast “Chris Simms Unbuttoned” Simms stated that the Steelers have no chance of making a deep playoff run, but they do have a shot to beat the Bills on the road.
“They don’t have a chance, I don’t think, to go real deep. I do think they can win one game at the Bills. I do,” Simms said, according to video via the NFL on NBC YouTube page. “I mean, Buffalo’s offense, 20, 21 points. That’s kinda what they are right now. I don’t think they’re gonna move the ball up and down the field on this Pittsburgh defense and Pittsburgh’s one of those teams that’s gonna go they got nothing to lose. They’re gonna take some chances on defense.”
The Steelers have nothing to lose. They are entering the playoffs playing with house money, and they’re on a hot streak.
So, too, are the Bills, but the Steelers seemingly match up well with them, at least stylistically. The Bills have struggled to stop the run this season, allowing 110.3 yards per game. They’ve been pretty stout against the pass though, allowing just over 196 yards per game, though. Good news for the Steelers is that they are running the ball very well this season, averaging 118.2 yards per game on the ground, and have dominated in the last three weeks from a run-game perspective.
With snow expected Sunday in Buffalo, that will play into the Steelers’ hands.
Even though Simms believes the Steelers have a shot at upsetting the Bills, he’s still picking Buffalo to win the game. Of course, it all comes down to what version of Josh Allen the Bills get.
“I’m taking the Bills to win that game. I can just tell you that right now,” Simms said. “But that would be one that I’d look at and go, ‘Eh, that could be a little scary.’ Josh Allen does some of the things he did [against the Dolphins]? Next week they might be going home after that football game.”
Allen led the NFL in turnovers in the regular season and does make some head-scratching decisions throughout games. The Steelers’ defense could take advantage of that, especially in poor conditions and in a do-or-die game. Crazier things have happened.
The Steelers, undoubtedly, have a chance. That much is clear.
