By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Game Info
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Buffalo Bills
Monday – January 15 – 3:30 p.m.
TV: CBS
Highmark Stadium – Orchard Park, NY
Records Before the Game
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, 5-3 Away)
Buffalo Bills (11-6, 7-2 Home)
The Buffalo Bills started the season slow coming out of the gate. Their season turned around when they beat the Dallas Cowboys 31-10 at home. The Bills are 5-0 in their last 5 games. The Pittsburgh Steelers are a very surprising team. They are 3-2 in their last 5 games. Those last three wins were all in a row to close out the season. They won 10 games this season without a clear-cut quarterback. This game will come down to who’s willing to go the extra mile on defense.
Why you should watch this game
This is the first game on the wild card schedule on Sunday. The Pittsburgh Steelers and their “Terrible Towel” are back in the playoffs after missing last season while the Buffalo Bills believe that this is their chance to keep their hot streak going.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have used four quarterbacks this season. Mason Rudolph will get the start, he has the hot hand right now. The Steelers beat Baltimore on the road to secure their playoff seed. He passed for 152 yards with a touchdown last week. The key for a Steelers win will be to score early and run the ball. Clock management will be huge for Pittsburgh this week. Running back Najee Harris will need to get at least 20-25 carries in this one. Players to watch: WR George Pickens, LB Elandon Roberts and CB Patrick Peterson. The defensive line will be the x factor this week.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills will either run out of steam or put-up huge numbers for this one. The Bills need to allow quarterback Josh Allen to play lights out. There’s no tomorrow if they come up short in this game. Scoring early and often will be just what the doctor ordered. Keep an eye on running back James Cook. He has racked up 1122 yards and scored 2 touchdowns this season. Wide out Stefon Diggs has been the driving force in the passing game. He has 107 receptions for 1183 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns. The x-factor for the Bills will be their pass protection this week.
Prediction
ESPN has the Bills with a 76.6% chance of winning at home this week. The over/under is 35.5, so take the over in this one. I’m taking the Bills by 6!
Final Score
Bills – 26
Steelers – 20
