So, you’re saying there’s a chance?
The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills Sunday afternoon in what is projected to be a wintry showdown. Each team is riding high off personal win streaks, but despite this, the Bills are picked as heavy favorites by nearly every sportsbook and analyst.
According to Chris Simms and Mike Florio of NBC, the Black and Gold shouldn’t be overlooked.
“Okay Pittsburgh, make the game ugly,” Simms said on NBC’s Pro Football Talk Show. “The Bills offense isn’t exactly like ‘Oh it’s a guaranteed 34 points’ like it was a few years ago. They’re kinda playing a grind-it-out football game too…I think Pittsburgh is scary for Buffalo.”
Making it an “ugly” game, as Simms said, will be crucial for the Steelers. As you have undoubtedly seen already — and I briefly mentioned — the weather will be less than ideal for throwing.
The National Weather Service in Buffalo announced that it is expecting a high of 24 degrees at gametime with wind chill at roughly four degrees. Winds will be coming southwest at about 27 MPH in the afternoon with a likelihood of them jumping as high as 44. Now, for the icing on the cake: snow.
Orchard Park is under a storm watch heading into Sunday with a 100% chance of precipitation. AccuWeather is currently calling for seven inches of snow to drop in the morning with three-and-a-half dropping later in the evening.
Anyone order an ugly game?
Since Mason Rudolph took over at quarterback, Pittsburgh has been able to run the ball well. In three games with Rudolph starting, the team averaged 38 attempts and 156 rushing yards. The main beneficiary of that success is RB Najee Harris. During that stretch, the former first-round pick has racked up 312 yards and totaled four rushing touchdowns.
While Buffalo will likely game plan to stop Harris, good luck tackling a 6-1, 242-pounder 20-plus times in freezing temperature.
Simms did caution that Bills quarterback Josh Allen is one of the few in the NFL with a strong enough arm to not be affected by the elements. Even if that stands to be true it may be difficult for his receivers to haul in bullet passes in the cold.
Florio shared similar thoughts when talking about the Steelers, even stating that Buffalo has not been convincing in the playoffs over recent years.
“Two-seeded Bills in 2020 almost lost at home to the Colts. Two-seeded Bills in 2022 almost lost at home to the Dolphins. Won both games by three points,” Florio said. “The Steelers are on house money here. They are going to be a dangerous team.”
If the Steelers can play mistake-free, power football through the blizzard in Buffalo, they may be cashing in that house money for the second round of the AFC playoffs.
