Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs Lead Bills Past Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers on SNF

Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

The Buffalo Bills moved one step closer to their first AFC East crown since the 1995 season.

Buffalo defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-15 in Sunday’s potential playoff preview at Bills Stadium and improved to 10-3 on the year. Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and the defense led the way for the victors, who have won three in a row and are two games ahead of the 8-5 Miami Dolphins in the division.

Pittsburgh has now lost two in a row after winning its opening 11 games of the season. It is still ahead of the 9-3 Cleveland Browns in the AFC North, but the division race is much closer down the stretch than it appeared it would be just weeks ago.

Notable Player Stats

Bills Defense Stifles Big Ben and Co.

Pittsburgh’s offense was firmly under the microscope in this matchup.

After all, it scored less than 20 points in each of its last two games against the Baltimore Ravens and Washington. Ben Roethlisberger also entered play with a three-game interception streak and appeared to force the issue a bit more with running back James Conner sidelined with an injury.

Even though Conner was back, it was more of the same Sunday.

Pittsburgh punted on its first five possessions and only scored when it took advantage of a short field following a turnover with a touchdown strike from Big Ben to James Washington. Roethlisberger also threw a touchdown to the wrong team in the final minute of the first half when Taron Johnson’s pick-six put the Bills ahead for the first time.

Things didn’t get much better out of the locker room, as the running game was nonexistent and Roethlisberger faced pressure even though he avoided a number of sacks with his ability to escape.

Offensive linemen Matt Feiler and Kevin Dotson were ruled out with shoulder injuries, making things even more difficult, and the lack of a running game meant Buffalo’s defensive line could home in on the quarterback without much hesitation.

Even with all that, a touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster and the ensuing two-point conversion cut the deficit to eight in the fourth quarter, but Roethlisberger’s second interception—this time to Levi Wallace—all but ended any realistic comeback hopes.

Bills Offense Comes Alive in Second Half

If there was ever a time for Allen to continue his individual momentum and carve up a Steelers defense, it was Sunday.

Devin Bush, Bud Dupree, Robert Spillane, Vince Williams and Joe Haden were among the Pittsburgh defenders who were sidelined with injuries, making the unit far less formidable. That figured to clear the way for Allen, who threw for 375 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions his last time out against the San Francisco 49ers.

Allen also averaged 307.75 passing yards per game in his previous four outings and tallied 12 combined touchdowns to three interceptions in that span.

So much for things sticking to the script in the early going, as Allen threw an interception to Mike Hilton and Dawson Knox lost a fumble in a first half that saw Buffalo manage just three offensive points.

After consistently stalling throughout the opening two quarters, Buffalo finally showed some life after its side took the lead with the Johnson pick-six. Allen locked in on Diggs and found him four times on the opening possession of the second half, the last of which put the Bills offense in the end zone for the first time all night.

Throwing to Diggs was Buffalo’s best strategy.

The explosive playmaker carved up Pittsburgh’s secondary with his crisp route running and ability to evade tacklers in the open field. He helped Allen settle in after a slow start, and the quarterback found Gabriel Davis for a touchdown, connected with Knox for a key third-down conversion while working the clock and further cemented his team’s status as a legitimate AFC contender.

What’s Next?

Both teams are on the road in Week 15 when the Steelers face the Cincinnati Bengals and the Bills play the Denver Broncos.