NFL Week 14: Trends which will decide each game
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-1) at Buffalo Bills (9-3), 8:20 pm
Steelers: All good things must come to an end. But that would not exactly describe the team’s performance as of late. The Steelers suffered their first loss of the season on Monday to the Washington Football Team, 23-17, after opening up a 14-0 lead. The club’s lack of offensive balance finally caught up with them.
That combined with too many drops by Pittsburgh pass-catchers and it added up to a very frustrating setback. In the last two games, the Steelers have totaled 34 running plays (including kneel downs) and 104 passing plays. Running back James Conner is expected to return this week but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the ground game will take center stage.
Bills: They have not only been one of the best teams in the league but you could make a case they’ve been as entertaining as any in the NFL. The Bills are in year four of the Sean McDermott Era are much different than they were the previous three seasons.
Led by quarterback Josh Allen, the team has scored 333 points and totaled 38 offensive touchdowns – already eclipsing last year’s season totals for scoring (314) and offensive TDs (34). But Buffalo’s defense has also looked different as well. The team has 30 sacks and 19 takeaways. But after giving up the second-fewest points in the NFL in 2019 (259), that totaled has already been shattered this season (306).