Steelers 19, Bills 16 (OT): Three Good And Three Bad

Buffalo will again have its hands full with a power run game and a top-shelf defense.

If we can air it out against the Vikings we will win. Their secondary is pretty suspect at this point. Their D-Line seems really hot or cold; Jared Allen has been pretty average this year. I think our biggest worry should be Kevin Williams and the Vikings LBing Corp.

great article DJ – rec’d

I wonder if you have noticed the biggest weakness for stopping the run? Specifically to me it seems LB play and more specifically Adoyele, Davis and Torbor. They always seem to be a step late

But as I mentioned yesterday………the last two games the offense has struggled greatly in the first half………..and rebounded nicely in the 2nd half……

Chan and Co need to figure out a way to start hot…….and carry that over in the 2nd half…..and perhaps it might mean less playing from behind when the margin for error is much less.

Other than that……….everything else seems to be progressing nicely.

Is A.P. going to be at his best or play at all next week? I believe I read an article on ESPN yesterday saying he injured his ankle, could be some good news for us and our front 7. I’ll take my chances with Favre and Toby G. I expect a close game, both teams want more respect now and Leslie Frazier needs to win a lot if he wants that job.

Why would you think Stevie isnt serious. Because of his bad game, or because of interviews he did on his off day? To me he just looked like he was having a bad day. He ran routes extremely well, specifically the one that led him to the drop in the endzone. I think he will just be more determined from here on out. He’s having a monster year, and one bad game isnt going to change that.

Lee Evans. At least Stevie tried to catch his passes. Lee had me so mad yesterday I actually threw something. I haven’t thrown anything during a Bills game in a long time (mostly because Dick J. numbed my feelings towards Bills football). He really seems soft out there like he is deathly afraid to get hit. I think he cost us this game as much as anybody.

Other than that I just want to say that I am so excited about the future of this team. They haven’t looked this competitive in a lloonngg time. It was also nice to see Troup and Carrington make some plays. WOOO HOOO. I love them Bills.

Great article, rec’d.

Good on ya for picking the o-line as a ‘good.’ That unit has been absolutely trashed on Rumblings for the 3 years that I’ve been reading, and after these last few games, it’s time to give some credit as due. They aren’t perfect, but they are playing MUCH better than anyone thought they would at this point.

Save for that one Ryan Fitzpatrick half where he gave the Bengals tons of points…….his defense has been pretty stout.

Yet most people rag on the guy………he’s keeping scores managable and giving the team a chance to win lately.

and can move the ball with the best of them.

They just need to continue this growth and start over next year.

Do they consider moving Wood to C if Urbick continues to grow as a RG?

This game should prove that maybe drafting D-Line round 1 isn’t the best way to help this team immediately. Our needs are Pass rush OLB round 1 and ILB round 2. Looking at Nix’s history its not very likely he goes O-Line round 1. He’s just as unlikely to go D-Line round 1 as well. With Dwan, Carrington, Troup and Williams we have a solid core of talent up there. In George Edwards’ 3-4 the LB play is imperative to stop the run. There were many times the D-Line had all the gaps sealed and the LBs couldn’t keep contain and tackle. I know Nix’s BPA system is tough to predict, but here’s hoping we get top end talent at LB in this draft.

He may also be one of the few that would take the job. At first hire I thought he would have been a good OC and would have rathered have Shanahan but now after looking how the Bills and Skins are playing and comparing roster talent I believe Gailey is doing the better of the 2 with less drama. Like Der jaeger said, these guys are playing hard and don’t quit. They are 3-4 should have been made plays (ie drops) that would have won games this year which would put them at 5-6 or 6-5. I know, every year we can do that but this year seems like their is an inordinate number of totally makeable plays that would have won them games as we all know.

heartbreaking ends in OT. It’s amazing to me how this team can stack their opponent up until the final 4 minutes of overtime or less, then suddenly they’re gassed out. It’s not normal to play OT, but it might be something they need to address. They may need to prepare these guys for 5 quarters of football.

It’s hard for me to imagine pulling Fitz out of this lineup, either this year or next year. This team might have a couple more wins if Fitz was the starter through training camp as well, though it’s impossible to predict.

He needs to keep playing QB until he does something to show that he doesn’t deserve it. He is the reason this team plays as hard and as smart as it does, especially in the come backs. Yes, he takes a while to get into rhythm, but once there he can move the offense on ANY defense in the league, which is kind f the hallmark of a good starting QB, yes? He inspires, he plays hard, he plays smart, and he loves this team and his teammates, and they love him. I don’t want to see Brohm, and I don’t want a rookie to start within the next year.

The thing that frustrated me the most was the two punts in overtime, especially the one 4th and 3. Sure, it’s a risk to go for it, but they were only 15 yards from field goal range. Yes, I know the punt went down to the 4, and the defense nearly pulled off a game-winning safety. But I don’t care – the Bills won the toss, had a great return into Steeler territory – roll the dice and keep going! On the second punt, it took the Steelers just 3 plays to get 20 yards back to where the Bills punted from, and you have to assume it could roll into the end zone when punting from the 39 or 41.

A running play somewhere in that 3 and out drive could have helped as well.