As the Kansas City Chiefs stumbled and both Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow suffered injuries, the path to the Super Bowl briefly widened for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Still, Buffalo have not established themselves as clear frontrunners.
Instead, Drake Maye’s New England Patriots now control the AFC East, a division the Bills have dominated in recent years. Upsets to the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins and, most recently, the Houston Texans have produced doubt around Sean McDermott’s team.
Allen rose to MVP last season by lifting a roster many viewed as talent-deficient compared with rivals. This season, the lack of a bona fide No. 1 receiving threat and the underwhelming development — and reported behavioural issues — of Keon Coleman have made Joe Brady’s offense inconsistent, limiting an otherwise game-changing quarterback.
Buffalo (7-4) head into Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with Aaron Rodgers returning to the visiting side. Sky Sports NFL’s Phoebe Schecter said on Inside the Huddle: “I don’t think the Bills know who they are. They have signed another receiver – Brandin Cooks – but I think they are feeling like ‘we have nobody to throw this ball to’. Keon Coleman is, again, having behavioural issues. There is a lot of noise. When he was out there, he and Josh Allen weren’t always on the same page. You can see already Josh Allen trusts Gabe Davis more than perhaps Keon Coleman. But James Cook is where it is. It’s Josh Allen and James Cook, and that is not a way to live.”
Running back James Cook has been central since Brady replaced Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator, carrying the ball 199 times for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 24 catches for 203 yards and a receiving score. Some of his quietest games have coincided with Buffalo’s poorest performances.
“We understand where we’re at,” Allen said. “At the same time, we have full confidence in ourselves. But ultimately it comes down to executing on game days. We’ve had some good, we’ve had some bad throughout the year.”
The Bills are coming off a 23-19 loss to the Texans in which Allen was sacked a career-high eight times by a Will Anderson-led front. Buffalo will be without starting left tackle Dion Dawkins and right tackle Spencer Brown on Sunday, a significant concern against TJ Watt and Pittsburgh’s defensive front.
Pittsburgh, 6-5, arrive after a 31-28 defeat to the Chicago Bears with Mason Rudolph under center in that game. Rodgers missed that contest nursing a broken left wrist but practiced fully on Friday and is available. “He was a full participant today with no designation for the game,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “So it’s all systems go.”
The Steelers sit atop the AFC North after the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving. Schecter added: “This is a team, when it comes to this time of year, they want to be physical, dominant, and run the football. That becomes their identity. You know Mike Tomlin is a guy who wants to be able to force his identity on every opponent he comes against, so with Kenneth Gainwell in and Aaron Rodgers back this weekend, it gives that team a bit of life. That is not to say Mason Rudolph hasn’t done a decent job – were there that many plays where you really thought Rodgers would have made that? I don’t think it was that different for the Steelers, unfortunately, which opens up a bigger conversation for another day.”
Bill Belichick famously said the NFL season truly begins after Thanksgiving. With December approaching, contenders are aware the stretch run will define playoff positioning. “It’s starting to head into that December area,” Steelers inside linebacker Patrick Queen said. “You kind of start getting that feeling. The air gets a little thin. It’s cut-throat time.”
Watch Buffalo vs Pittsburgh live on Sky Sports NFL from 9.25pm on Sunday.