Comparing The Buffalo Bills To The Pittsburgh Steelers

Yesterday, in completing our Buffalo Bills roster evaluations in the form of this odd-looking depth chart, many of you asked how the Bills would compare to some of the league's elite teams evaluated through a similar lens.

I live to serve - and right now, it doesn't get much more elite than this year's Super Bowl participants, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers. We'll compare the Steelers first, as they're sort of the best organization in all professional sports; the "gold standard," if you will.

Buffalo has one player that I consider among the league's elite at his position; Pittsburgh has five, with four of them defenders. Buffalo has a combined five offensive and defensive linemen in Group 2 or above; Pittsburgh has eight.

Aside from the Group 1 disparity, this is the most significant factor in the differences between the teams: Buffalo has 18 players in Group 2 or higher; Pittsburgh has 22 - and you could argue some of the Group 3 Steelers higher on the rubric (like Hoke, Worilds and McFadden).

But the biggest difference is in elite players. Buffalo just doesn't have the elite talent; they have some complementary talent (though not enough in the lines), but no elite talent to carry them above their general talent level. You can see why Buffalo had Pittsburgh dead to rights in their overtime loss during the regular season, and you can also see why the Steelers are perennial playoff contender, and why the Bills are not.