So often on the ensuing play following a takeaway, offenses dial up a shot play. Taking advantage of the sudden change, the defense having to leap off the bench and onto the field, good play callers look for the big play. The Buffalo Bills got theirs the play after Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens fumbled the ball away, QB Josh Allen hitting TE Dalton Kincaid for a 29-yard touchdown down the middle of the Steelers’ defense. The score put Buffalo ahead 14-0, building up a first-half lead the Bills would hold onto throughout the rest of the game.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Allen said aiming for the end zone was intentional. And that the Bills got the exact look they wanted to score.
“Yeah. Trusting what, what [OC Joe Brady’s] calling and guys went out there and executed,” Allen said via the Bills’ YouTube channel when asked about looking for the big play. “That’s a game-plan play that we had in against their specific defense. And we saw the exact look that we practiced and made a heck of a catch there.”
Pickens coughed up the ball after catching a pass on an innocuous-looking sprint out to get the Steelers’ offense moving. A low-risk play designed to gain five yards and keep the offense on schedule. But Pickens turned upfield and lost possession of the ball as he fell to the ground. With clear recovery, Buffalo won their challenge and took over.
On the Bills’ first offensive play after the turnover, Allen fired down the middle of the Steelers’ defense. Pittsburgh played a split safety coverage, leaving Myles Jack one-on-one with Kincaid, the Bills’ athletic and productive rookie. A complete mismatch and Allen put the ball on Kincaid for the immediate score.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Jack cited defensive miscommunication though he ultimately took responsibility for allowing the score. As the CBS broadcast noted, it marked the first time in playoff history two tight ends caught first-quarter touchdowns, Dawson Knox finding the end zone on Buffalo’s previous possession.
Pittsburgh ends the year allowing nine touchdowns to tight ends, eight of which came from Week 13 on. Losing Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander at inside linebacker and a slew of injuries at safety made the middle of the field a sieve. Even with Minkah Fitzpatrick and Damontae Kazee returning for the Wild-Card game, Pittsburgh’s results against tight ends weren’t any better. But much of the damage came against Jack or Eric Rowe or the Steelers sitting in zone instead of allowing Fitzpatrick to cover and take one of the Bills’ top weapons away.
Over the last month, the Steelers became a zone-heavy outfit. They made plays, they won games, but it was a simple scheme exploitable by top-tier quarterbacks like Allen as opposed to backups in Cincinnati’s Jake Browning or Baltimore’s Tyler Huntley.
Allen finished the day throwing for 203 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for a 52-yard score, the second-longest touchdown Pittsburgh’s allowed to an opposing quarterback since 1950. Yet again, it felt like the Steelers were outclassed schematically and individually, leading to the same outcome as the team’s previous four playoff games. An ugly defeat.
