ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Here are my five takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ 38-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Highmark Stadium:
1. This game went exactly as expected.
The Bills are a good team. The Steelers aren’t. And as easy as the win was, the 35-point margin could have/should have been much greater.
The Bills had some execution hiccups, which were understandable considering the huge challenge of maintaining concentration when the opponent is so bad. At various points, it felt like a preseason game, with the Bills’ starters beating up on Steeler backups.
Early in the fourth quarter, Stefon Diggs, on a 41-yard reception, twice skipped his way up the field before stepping out of bounds. It was that kind of day.
2. Josh Allen feasted on a Steelers defense that entered the game missing key players due to injuries and would lose more as it progressed.
You knew what kind of day it would be for the quarterback when he connected with a wide-open Gabe Davis for a 98-yard touchdown pass on the game’s opening possession.
Before giving way to Case Keenum early in the third quarter, Allen had a career-best 424 passing yards and four TD throws, including a 62-yarder to Davis (who did an amazing job of ripping the ball from safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in the end zone) that made it 17-3 in the third quarter. Allen also ran five times for 42 yards.
3. The way the game unfolded, it’s easy to forget some sloppiness early on.
Tyler Bass had a blocked field goal. A sure touchdown was missed when Allen overthrew a wide-open Diggs. Another promising drive ended with Allen being intercepted in the end zone by former Bill Levi Wallace. And even with the Bills holding a comfortable lead in the late going, Quintin Morris fumbled a shovel pass while diving into the end zone, giving the Steelers another takeaway.
But the NFL’s elite teams know how to overcome mistakes and adversity. The Bills have demonstrated that multiple times this season.
4. The Steelers’ problems had far more to do with their defensive shortcomings than having rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett make his first NFL start.
His numbers would suggest otherwise, but Pickett didn’t do much damage against a Bills defense that was without injured starting safety Jordan Poyer. He threw for 327 yards, with most coming on check-downs/underneath routes that the Bills gladly gave up in lieu of deeper ones, and had an interception.
Despite the Steelers’ loss after Pickett replaced Mitch Trubisky against the New York Jets last week and what happened Sunday, Pickett is a clear upgrade over the former Bills backup.
He does a far better job of throwing receivers open, looking to connect them when they are close to defenders rather than waiting for them to gain comfortable separation, as Trubisky often does. Pickett also has far greater mobility. At some point, perhaps later this season, he’s bound to see some success in the NFL.
5. Now it’s on to Kansas City.
This is the game of the year, a matchup of arguably the two best teams in the NFL. The outcome is bound to go a long way toward determining whether the Bills have home-field advantage in the postseason. And that distinction is bound to go a long way toward determining whether they fulfill their Super Bowl-bound expectations.
The Bills will need to dispense with the sloppy play they’ve occasionally shown in the past three games. To beat a team that is every bit as capable of lighting up the scoreboard as they are, consistent precision and efficiency are an absolute must.