While he might not understand the decision to start QB Mason Rudolph, former NFL QB Brady Quinn thinks the Steelers will keep things close in their Wild Card Round playoff matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Monday afternoon.
Speaking on CBS Sports HQ, Quinn explained why he thinks the Steelers will be able to compete with Buffalo.
“Mike Tomlin has consistently overachieved with the way he’s been able to, throughout his entire career in Pittsburgh, build up rosters, find ways of getting them to win games. He’s a phenomenal coach, and he’s why they keep this one close. It’s gonna be Mike Tomlin, the gameplan those guys put together and execute.”
There’s little doubt the Steelers have overachieved at times under Tomlin, but they’ve also underachieved and lost games they shouldn’t during his tenure. While both things can be true, given that the Steelers have more time to prepare and put a game plan together for this one with the game getting delayed, that may benefit Tomlin and the Steelers. While the weather clearing up will mean Bills QB Josh Allen can impact the game more than he would if the game was played today, Tomlin and Pittsburgh’s coaching staff will have more time to figure out what they want to do to defend him and move the ball against the Buffalo defense.
Earlier this week, Steven Ruiz wrote that Allen, who has 18 interceptions this season, can’t fall into Tomlin’s trap if Buffalo is going to win. Pittsburgh’s defense has really stepped up in the last few weeks, but not having OLB T.J. Watt is going to hurt Pittsburgh’s chances. Even still, the team still has good pass rush depth with Markus Golden and Nick Herbig taking on a bigger role, and Pittsburgh’s secondary will get a boost with the return of Minkah Fitzpatrick and Damontae Kazee.
The key to the game for Pittsburgh is going to be stopping Allen and Buffalo’s defense, and that’s where Tomlin can help impact the game. Offensively, the Steelers are going to need Mason Rudolph to keep up his performance from the last three weeks and continue their success on the ground, particularly with Najee Harris, who ran for over 100 yards in each of the last two games. The execution on the field is going to obviously be the most important thing, but if Tomlin can out-coach Sean McDermott, the Steelers just might have a chance to pull off the upset in Buffalo.
Watch the full CBS Sports preview of the game below.
