The Pittsburgh Steelers have a tough road playoff game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The last time these two teams met in the regular season was 2022 and the Bills crushed the Steelers, 38-3. They ended up pulling QB Josh Allen at the end of the game because the victory was secured early.
The Bills’ leading receiver that day was not superstar WR Stefon Diggs—it was WR Gabe Davis. He had 171 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and all that damage came on just three receptions. Allen’s big arm and Davis’ big-play ability were on full display in that game. One of them was a 98-yard touchdown strike on the third play of the game.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin spoke to the media Thursday, and by the sounds of it, that performance by Davis still haunts him to this day.
“I still got nightmares about him from last year,” Austin said during his weekly availability in a transcribed tweet by Mike DeFabo of The Athletic.
Per the Bills’ practice report from Wednesday, Davis did not practice due to a knee injury. His participation throughout the week will be something to watch closely, especially given what he did to the Steelers last time the two teams played.
His other big touchdown that day was a 62-yard score. S Minkah Fitzpatrick initially looked to have intercepted the pass, but Davis ripped the ball out of Fitzpatrick’s hands to secure the touchdown.
For the 2023 season, Davis had the Bills’ second-most receiving yards and third-most yards from scrimmage behind RB James Cook and Diggs. He had 45 receptions on 81 targets for 746 yards and seven touchdowns. That is an average of 16.6 yards per reception and he only had 180 yards after the catch. He is one of the premier deep threats in the league on a team with one of the top deep throwers.
Joey Porter Jr. figures to shadow Stefon Diggs, so Patrick Peterson, Levi Wallace, and the safeties will have to help limit Davis’ impact if he is available. On a positive note, Fitzpatrick announced earlier today that he will be playing against the Bills, and Damontae Kazee will be back from his suspension.
