The Buffalo Bills secured a 26-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium, scoring 26 consecutive points in the second half. The win moves Buffalo to an 8-4 record as they prepare to host the Cincinnati Bengals next week.
The turning point came on the first play after halftime. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked by Bills defensive end Joey Bosa, causing a fumble that cornerback Christian Benford returned for a touchdown. This marked Benford’s first career touchdown and was Buffalo’s first defensive touchdown of the season.
“We needed it. That was a huge play,” said Bills head coach Sean McDermott.
McDermott noted his halftime message focused on strong defense and special teams to create opportunities for points. “Not only did we get off three and out, but we get the takeaway there and scored on defense, and then the ensuing drive after that took it away again and gave our offense good field position,” he said.
Bosa’s forced fumble was his fifth of the season, just one short of his career best. Benford later added an interception, making him only the second NFL player this season with both a fumble recovery touchdown and an interception in one game.
“The message this week was to score on defense,” linebacker Shaq Thompson said. “And we responded to that. We got a challenge by Coach McDermott, and we stepped up and showed up.”
Quarterback Josh Allen connected with Keon Coleman for another touchdown following these turnovers, quickly extending Buffalo’s lead.
“That was a huge jolt for us,” Allen said about the defensive plays.
Buffalo’s run game also played a key role in the win. The team rushed for 249 yards on 51 carries—its highest total this season—and averaged nearly five yards per carry despite missing starting tackles Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown.
“It means that we have the best offensive line in the league for the run game,” said offensive lineman Alec Anderson, who filled in at right tackle. He credited collective effort from his unit for creating running lanes throughout the game.
According to Next Gen Stats, Buffalo ran on more than 63% of its plays—one of their highest rates since drafting Allen. Running back James Cook III logged his seventh 100-yard rushing game this year, while Ray Davis contributed with a personal season-high in rushing yards.
“A lot of duos that we ran tonight,” Allen said about their strategy up front. “Our guys were breaking some tackles. The holes were there.”
Steelers defender T.J. Watt commented on Buffalo’s persistent ground attack: “I’ve never seen a team run the same play as much as they ran today and have as much success as they had.”
On defense, Buffalo limited Pittsburgh to seven points—the lowest allowed by their defense this year—and only 58 rushing yards. It is just the fifth time under McDermott that an opponent has been held under both marks since 2017; Pittsburgh has now been held below those thresholds twice by Buffalo during that span.
“Our guys, they showed up today, they stood up. They knew this would be a challenge, and they rose to the occasion,” McDermott said.
Linebacker Shaq Thompson summarized their mindset after last week’s loss: “We just wanted to get back in that win column.”
