After two grueling weeks in a row, the Bills needed an easy Sunday, and they got one during a 38-3 victory over the Steelers at home.
The day started with a 98-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Gabe Davis, and that set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.
The Bills gained 552 yards of offense on 10.2 yards per play. The defense held the Steelers to 310 yards, even with almost two-quarters of garbage time. Josh Allen completed 20-of-31 passes for 424 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Gabe Davis had three catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns. They sacked Kenny Pickett three times and forced two turnovers.
Khalil Shakir had his first NFL touchdown. James Cook had his first NFL touchdown. Kaiir Elam had his first NFL interception. Isaiah Hodgins had his first NFL reception.
The Bills never really had to sweat, so they showcased the upside that their young players possess. But that doesn’t mean the game was flawless.
After the opening touchdown pass from Allen to Davis, the Steelers fumbled the kickoff, giving the Bills the ball on the Steelers’ 31-yard-line. Only, Buffalo couldn’t do anything with it.
Ryan Bates was called for a holding penalty that negated a Devin Singletary first down, a pass to Stefon Diggs got blown up in the backfield, and then Tyler Bass had his field goal attempt blocked.
Just two drives later, with the Bills up 10-3, Josh Allen drove the team down into the red zone before badly underthrowing Gabe Davis in the end zone. It was picked off by former teammate Levi Wallace, and the Bills had wasted another opportunity.
In the third quarter, Quentin Morris took a shovel pass from Josh Allen and lurched towards the end zone, before having the ball knocked loose before the goaline. Siran Neal later had a chance to pin the Steelers on their own two-yard line after a great Sam Martin punt but had the ball slip through his fingers and into the end zone.
On this day, none of those mistakes matters, but next Sunday against the Chiefs, Buffalo likely won’t be so lucky.
However, the team did make some strides in a few areas, notably in the running game. Even without Josh Allen’s 42 yards factored in, Buffalo ran for 80 yards on 11 carries before pulling their starters in the fourth quarter. That’s 7.3 yards per carry from their running backs, which is a drastic improvement over what we’ve seen coming into today’s game.
The team was able to get Devin Singletary out on the edges and even created space for James Cook up the gut on his touchdown run in the third quarter. Cook showed the elusiveness that the Bills were hoping for when they drafted him in the second round and then turned on the jets to get into the end zone.
Overall, it was a good day in Buffalo, and the continued reps for their depth players will undoubtedly be an asset when this team gets into the later weeks of the season. However, the team and the fans know that next week will bring a much different challenge when they travel to Arrowhead.
Preparation will start with the injury report, hoping they can get back Jordan Poyer, Isaiah McKenzie, Dawson Knox, and a host of other players who have missed games already this season.
