ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills got linebacker Matt Milano back ahead of last Monday's win over the San Francisco 49ers, now he and the Bills defense will have to prepare for the Pittsburgh Steelers to return their feature back James Conner on Sunday night.
"It's truly been a blessing," Milano said of his return. "I've been working through a whole lot of stuff here with this [pectoral] issue, but it finally turned around and I haven't had any issues with it since, so it's been all good."
Milano and the Bills defense will need to be ready for Conner, returning after missing two games on the reserve COVID-19 list.
"He's a big difference out there. He's one of the best backs in the NFL," Milano said about Conner.
"It's one of our priorities to stop the run, first off, and make them one dimensional. When he's back in there, it's a whole different ball game."
Without Conner, the Steelers ran for just 21 yards in their first loss of the season to the Washington Football Team last Monday. Pittsburgh struggled in the passing game, as well, with eight dropped passes in that loss.
But the Bills aren't expecting any handouts from the 11-1 Steelers this Sunday.
"These are NFL players. They got here for a reason catching the football," said Bills safety Micah Hyde. "That's their expertise. That's what they do every single day. That means nothing to us, so we gotta play fast and play well. It's on us to break up the balls or make plays on the football."
Because of COVID-19 issues with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12, the Steelers are coming to Orchard Park to play their third game in just 12 days. The Bills could be able to catch Pittsburgh on its heels Sunday night.