The fourth quarter of the season opened with a far more dominating win than the final score would indicate.

You read that right Nation! The Steelers completely dominated the Bills Sunday, despite some late game let downs on defense, which allowed the Bills to make it “appear” closer than it actually was.

Let’s look at some of the more telling stats:

	Steelers	Bills
Rushing Yards	240	67
Average Yards Per Carry	5.7	3.7
Passing Yards	220	208
Sacks	5	0
First Downs	24	14
Third Down Efficiency	6-14-43%	3-9-33%
Time of Possession	38:41	21:19

Remember, this was the number one rushing offense in the league. It was also the number one rushing defense in the league.

(You understand; I mean the Bills had both of those things? I can see how that might be confusing after looking at the statistics.)

The Bills first 3 drives amounted to 14 plays (3, 6 and 5) with a total net yards of 12 (-2, -4 and 18).

It wasn’t as close as it felt, and the one thing that was certain was that the only team capable of stopping the Steelers during this game, was the Steelers.

It was a good road win, their third in the last four games, and keeps the Steelers firmly in control of their own destiny.

Let’s look at the Good, Bad & the Ugly from yesterday’s 27-20 victory over the Bills.

The Good

The Offensive Line

There really is a lot of good this week. It starts with the lines, and we will start with the Goon Squad first. The O-line was down a man, which allowed Phil Simms to begin his bro-mance with B.J. Finney. 

And Finney deserved it! 

He made one mistake and got flagged for it, but overall he put together yet another fine performance as a stand-in for Ramon Foster.

The O-line had 4 guys ranked in the top 5 offensive grades on Pro Football Focus:

• Marcus Gilbert (80.00)
• Maurkice Pouncey (79.0)
• Alejandro Villanueva (73.8)
• B.J. Finney (71.4)

They allowed 0 sacks, and absolutely dominated the Bills defensive line, which had been number one against the rush.

The Defensive Line & Edge Rushers

I said in the preview for this game that one of the keys would be how we managed 1^st and 2^nd down on both sides of the ball. I also said it would hinge on which lines were dominate, and on both sides of the ball it was the men in Black and Gold who were imposing their will at the point of attack.

5 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, and as I mentioned above, they held the number one rushing offense to just 67 yards.

Bud Dupree had 2 sacks. Stephon Tuitt had a half sack and a tackle for loss and was a terror on the line. L.T. Walton and Ricardo Mathews had tackles and contributed in keeping the Bills running attack bottled up. 

Throw in a really good game by Ryan Shazier (8 tackles, 1 sack) and the defensive front did their job. 

It’s a really encouraging sign heading into the final 3 games.

Roosevelt Nix

Oh how we have missed Rosie Nix: it’s not just the lead blocking (which was dynamic and overpowering) it’s the special teams play (2 tackles). 

Having Rosie back and healthy has been a big part of why the running game has taken over. 

When you add in Chris Hubbard playing a TE position, and David Johnson, we have a set of bigs out there that can really dominate.

Was there a more beautiful sight yesterday than watching Le’Veon Bell waltz into the end zone completely untouched while Rosie cleared the way?

I love Rosie Nix!

The Dynamic Duo (Artie and Sean)

Artie Burns and Sean Davis continue to improve, and impress.

Artie got a record-breaking interception, to become the first Steelers rookie corner with 3 INT’s in his first season.

Sean Davis had 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks and played all over the field. His run support has been absolutely fantastic.

Maybe limiting their play at the beginning of the season will give them extra legs as we enter the home stretch, cause these guys don’t appear to be hitting any kind of rookie wall. Instead, they are growing into solid contributors, and maybe more.

The Century Mark

I rarely call out the coaches in here, but you know what, this week is different.

The team was clearly well prepared, and they had a solid, and effective game plan. And that’s in large part due to good coaching.

Not only that, but with this victory, Coach Tomlin reaches the lofty heights of having hit 100 wins in less than 10 years (this being his 10^th season, and it’s not yet finished).

So to all those Tomlin haters out there – suck it! #TomlinIsMyCoach

Great job Coach T – we are lucky to have you!

Ringing the Bell

I saved the best for last.

What a day Le’Veon Bell had!

No Steelers running back has ever had a day quite like it. He set a single game rushing record, breaking Willie Parker‘s old record, by rushing for 236 yards (an absolutely sick average of 5.2 yards per carry) and he made it look so easy (with a lot of help by the o-line and Rosie Nix, but still).

He nearly had 300 yard total yards from scrimmage (hitting 298) when you add in his 62 yards receiving.

It was an absolute joy to watch him run yesterday. He showed power, shiftiness, speed, everything you could possibly hope for. That was his best game as a pro in my opinion, and hopefully just the beginning of what’s to come over the next 3 weeks.

The Bad

Ben’s Day

I almost put this in ugly, because it was really on the verge of ugly.

3 picks. All 3 were when he had no pressure at all, and while I am willing to write off two of them (the one to Ladarius could be just miscommunication or unfamiliarity, and the one that was intended for Jesse James really was a fantastic play by the Bills linebacker). The other one was just an ugly throw.

It most definitely was not Ben’s day.

Ending the day with a 37.8 QB rating (one of the worst of his career) was really just a caper. There were at least 2 other balls that it looked like the Bills had the opportunity to pick off. If Ben has even a slightly better day, this game is a complete runaway. At least 14 points were thrown away on 2 of those picks, and if we don’t give the Bills the ball at our own 8, they probably don’t score that TD. Add that up, and this game could have been 41-13, which is actually a better reflection on how the game went.

Hopefully he’s gotten the ugly out of his system, because we can’t count on winning games when our QB tosses 3 picks.

On the plus side, that throw to AB on the sidelines was a fantastic throw! So it wasn’t all bad!

End of the Game Sloppiness

The Steelers defense did a really good job for over 45 minutes of wrapping up and tackling. Then those last few Bills drives happened, and we got sloppy. I don’t want to dwell on it, because they played such a dominant game overall, but the Bills should never have gotten that last score, and maybe not those last two. I’m sure there will be some discussion in meetings about maintaining intensity for four quarters.

The Ugly

The Refs – Again.

I laid off the refs last week. I gave them a pass, even though there was reason to say that it’s just business as usual, and they stink. But I’m sorry, the refs helped keep this game closer than it should have been. 

And poor Will Gay was definitely a victim.

It was third and 13, and Gay intercepts Tyrod Taylor at the Buffalo 25 yard line, and in his own Big Play style, runs the ball back for what would have been a record setting pick-six.

BLEEEEAAATT – Yellow Hankie Alert!

Artie Burns is flagged for, well, I guess for breathing on somebody? Maybe he needed a Tic-Tac? I don’t know. I mean they said it was holding, but I think the only thing Artie was holding on that call was his breath watching Will Gay return that ball for six points.

So I guess the refs are picking on Artie a bit? Last week it was that phantom block in the back, when the only guy Artie blocked in the back had to be a ghost, cause it didn’t’ happen. Now this week he gets called for holding? Please.

But maybe worse than the bad calls were the no-calls; especially the offensive holding the Bills committed. 

On nearly every play. 

I mean c’mon man! 

Poor Bud Dupree could have had 7 sacks if he wasn’t being held by the jersey or the arm nearly every time he rushed! There is no point in talking about James Harrison because we all know the refs turn a blind eye to the holds that tackles put on him. 

Always have, always will.

Look, I really want to stop complaining about the refs. I do. But they just won’t let me.

Conclusion

Bengals. Ravens. Browns.

That’s what is left between the Steelers and the promised land. Yes, we have to try not to throw up in our mouths, and quietly hope the Ravens stink up the joint in New England, but the truth is that if we win our next 3 games, we’ll be 11-5, and at best the Ravens will end up 10-6 and we will win our division.

It’s really that simple. Win the 3 games in front of us, and we are AFC North Champs. In my mind, the two most difficult games were the last two, so the idea of winning out isn’t impossible.

Next week will be a test. Remember who has taken Le’Veon out the last two years? That’s right – the Bengals. 

Ben needs to play like he often does in Ohio, and we need to protect ourselves. The Bengals are still banged up, and limited on offense, but Vontez Burfict will be there, and I’m sure the entire team would just love to play spoilers.

Let’s just hope we get out of there healthy, and victorious!

Until next time Nation!