Sunday Night Football hasn’t always been kind to the Buffalo Bills but on this particular evening, they were able to beat a Pittsburgh Steelers team with 11 wins. It was a victory that relied on all three phases and, as a result, was probably the most complete team win of the season. The Steelers are considered to be one of the AFC’s juggernauts, so you can now consider the Bills to be included in that same group. More about how each rookie performed against the Steelers below.
DE A.J. Epenesa
Much has been said about the Steelers’ quick passing attack, which had the effect of largely neutralizing the impact of the Bills’ defensive line. As a result, Epenesa did not record any statistics during the game. Having said that, the rookie defensive end did his job on most occasions and was able to push his tackle back several times on runs or in pass rush situations.
RB Zack Moss
He wasn’t called upon too much throughout the game but when the offense needed a closer in the fourth quarter, Moss delivered. The highlight was a 13-yard zone run to the right side that saw the rookie dodge multiple tacklers and use his vision to find daylight. In fact, most of his productive runs were similar outside zone play calls. He finished the game with 43 yards on 13 carries, resulting in a decent day for the former Utah runner.
WR Gabriel Davis
It was an inconsistent day for Davis who, despite finding the end zone again on a similar play to his one against the San Francisco 49ers, only finished with two other short catches on eight targets. Granted, on one of those targets he was wide open on a shallow post route and Allen just missed him, but on others he struggled with separation and drops. He’s been granted plenty of opportunities to shine with John Brown out for the past three games, but it’s looking like Davis will go back to his usual role with the veteran set to return from injured reserve soon.
QB Jake Fromm
As with the previous games, Fromm was again a healthy scratch. This has remained the case throughout the season.
K Tyler Bass
The rookie kicker missed one of his extra points. (Though, did he really?) While that may be a bit disconcerting, he somewhat made up for that gaffe by nailing two medium-length field goals.
WR Isaiah Hodgins
Hodgins remains on Injured Reserve. He recently had surgery on his shoulder.
CB Dane Jackson
Jackson did not see the field against the Steelers with both Josh Norman and Levi Wallace now healthy and remained on the practice squad as a “protected player.”
TE/FB Reggie Gilliam
Despite only four snaps counts on offense, Gilliam could have been targeted on one particular passing route but it was not to be. His presence on special teams remains constant.