If the Pittsburgh Steelers were a high-flying passing attack, Sunday’s brutal-looking weather forecast might post a problem. Chilly, windy, snowy, it won’t be a game for the weak of heart. But it’s an outlook that plays well into how the Steelers are currently built. Now a physical and run-oriented outfit, Interim OC Eddie Faulkner says their plans aren’t changed by what the weather man says.
“We have such commitment to the things that we already need to do in the game,” Faulkner said Thursday via a team-provided transcript. “We need to run the ball. So that won’t change from that aspect. But of course, we have some conversations that we need to that are relevant in this situation, so that’s what we’ll do. But obviously we got to go out there and compete and play our best ball regardless.”
Since Matt Canada was fired following the Steelers’ Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns, no team has run the ball as much as Pittsburgh. Its 231 carries are the most in football, the Steelers finding the end zone nine times on the ground. RBs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren have arguably become football’s top duo, two battering rams and downhill runners built well if field conditions are poor. Though perhaps the X factor of this weekend’s game will be the team’s equipment manager, Adam Regan, finding the right cleats for an environment like this.
While the weather might favor the Steelers and their ground-and-pound approach, the Bills are also a team comfortable handing the ball off. After Pittsburgh, the team that has the second-most carries since Week 12 is Buffalo, 220 carries with a better YPC (4.2) and one more rushing score. While the Bills won’t be scared to throw, they have no issue running the ball as much as needed. RB James Cook is having a breakout year, rushing for over 1,000 yards and posting a healthy 4.7-yard average.
If there’s a real advantage the Steelers might have, it’s their strength in one-possession games. On the year, Pittsburgh is 9-2 when the outcome is decided by eight or less points, the NFL’s top mark. Buffalo? Just 6-6 this year. If the weather keeps the score down and the game close, the Steelers could win the final few moments and pull off the upset.
