A pair of struggling teams will clash Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field when the Buffalo Bills (3-6) visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6). The Bills, though likely out of the playoffs for a league-leading 14th consecutive season, have lost four games this season by ten points or less to playoff contenders, home against New England, Cincinnati, and Kansas City and at the New York Jets. They have also been without rookie starting QB E.J. Manuel, who was hurt in their loss at Cleveland in Week 5, putting the job in the hands of unproven Thad Lewis and rookie Jeff Tuel. First-year head coach Doug Marrone has surely inherited great challenges with this team, and a win in Pittsburgh would be a solid accomplishment, especially for Manuel who will return from a sprained knee injury. The Bills are 2-3 in games Manuel has started.
The Steelers are 1-2 at home and will attempt to even up that record after a miserable two-week road trip resulted in losses at Oakland and New England. Pittsburgh’s defense allowed a franchise-record 55 points and 610 yards to the Patriots last week and should be poised for redemption. Buffalo also has a two-game losing streak, falling at New Orleans and last week vs. Kansas City, two first-place teams. The Bills play next week before finally getting their bye week in Week 12. They are 1-3 on the road, winning a Week 7 tilt in Miami, their only AFC East division victory in three tries so far. Pittsburgh, now 1-1 against the AFC East, has Buffalo this weekend and Miami in town for a Week 14 matchup.
Buffalo’s strength is definitely the running game, where they rank 7th in the NFL with nearly 150 yards per game. On the contrary, the young quarterbacks in the Buffalo passing game rank just 28th overall. They may very well struggle against a defense that, despite allowing Tom Brady and the Patriots to score at will, still ranks 4th in the NFL in yards allowed through the air. Unfortunately for the Steelers, C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson, and a mobile E.J. Manuel may be a tough trio to stop on the ground. Dick LeBeau’s Steelers defense ranks 31st in stopping the ground game, a startlingly low mark based on the organization’s history succeeding in that area. As for the Buffalo defense, they are very average, ranking 18th against both the run and the pass. Pittsburgh ranks 8th in passing offense, but many of those yards have come late in games where the Steelers trail and the opposing defense is sitting back, allowing a lot of completions and easy yardage for Ben Roethlisberger.
Speaking of the Steelers QB, who is weathering one of the more disappointing seasons of his storied career, he will start his 135th NFL game Sunday. His counterpart, Manuel, will start just his sixth. Roethlisberger will look to lead this underperforming offense to victory, which may hinge on whether or not the 28th-ranked running game can get anything going. Rookie Le’Veon Bell will also make his sixth career start and is still looking for a 100-yard performance. Veteran WR Jerricho Cotchery leads the team in touchdowns with five after a three-score performance last week. He and the team’s top receiver on the depth chart will navigate through a defense that has 12 interceptions in nine games for the Bills. Pittsburgh’s defense has just four picks, and just six turnovers forced all season. With a turnover differential of -11 and facing a defense that is tied for second overall in interceptions, Roethlisberger must be careful with the ball, watching especially for LB Kiko Alonso, who has made big impact plays all year for the Bills.
As the second half of the season begins, head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers simply have to work on improving in every facet. Every game, every play will possibly determine the fates of certain players regarding their future as a Pittsburgh Steelers. With seemingly little to no chance of making the playoffs, the Steelers are playing for pride and respect, as well as perhaps opportunities to affect other team’s chances of making the playoffs. A win at home against another struggling team would be a good place to start.
