Buffalo secured a 26-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, shutting out their opponent in the second half at Acrisure Stadium. This win brings Buffalo’s road record for the season to an even 3-3 and marks only their fourth win in franchise history on the Steelers’ home field.
Head coach Sean McDermott commented on the difficulty of playing in Pittsburgh: “Good win. Tough place to play. Well-coached football team,” he said. “Hard-fought win, and a team win. Hard to do, especially late in the year on the road. Our guys, they showed up today, they stood up. They knew this would be a challenge and they rose to the occasion.”
The Bills played without several key starters due to injuries but managed to control nearly 42 minutes of possession compared to just 18 minutes for Pittsburgh. Quarterback Josh Allen described it as typical AFC North conditions with challenging weather and personnel changes: “A little bit of wind, a little bit of cold. Personnel-wise of who they got, who we got. This is [a] typical AFC North type team.”
Looking ahead with two remaining road games against New England and Cleveland following next week’s home matchup with Cincinnati, Allen emphasized momentum: “Sitting at 8-4, understanding where we’re at in our division – and the conference for that matter. Got to continue to find ways to win football games,” he said. “Protect the ball and move the ball and not hurt ourselves. We can be a really, really good team.”
In his postgame press conference, McDermott highlighted time of possession: “When you do that … you control the game, and you play the game on your terms.” He also addressed first-half struggles caused by turnovers and penalties: “We were driving the ball in the first half against a good defense, and yet, then we were shooting ourselves in the foot with a couple false start penalties and losing the ball,” he said. “So, that was really the message at halftime, more than anything, is to take care of the ball and make sure we’re executing the way we know how to execute.”
The Bills limited mistakes despite physical play from both teams; only one unsportsmanlike penalty was called on Buffalo while Pittsburgh drew several such calls.
Allen explained his halftime message—despite an error about which team would receive possession first—proved effective after Buffalo’s defense scored via fumble recovery before adding another touchdown off an interception: “I mistakenly said in halftime, ‘Score, stop, score,'” Allen noted after the game. “We weren’t getting the ball first, but that’s exactly what happened.”
The offensive line faced challenges with starters Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown sidelined; Ryan Van Demark and Alec Anderson stepped into starting roles for Sunday’s game.
“It comes down to our team and our motto is ‘Do your 1/11th,'” Anderson said after playing significant snaps at tackle alongside Van Demark. He acknowledged early penalties due partly to anticipation facing edge rusher T.J. Watt but credited improved execution as critical later in helping secure Allen’s rushing touchdown.
Allen praised both tackles’ effort: “Those are two guys that you never ever have to worry about their work ethic or their want or their love for their teammates,” he said. “They continue to grind and … they did not blink [on Sunday]; and for us to go in there against that defensive line unit, that’s some special stuff and I could not be more proud of them.”
