3 takeaways from the Steelers’ 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills

Well, that was a football game that happened. The Steelers lost 26-7 to a banged up Buffalo Bills team Sunday afternoon, falling to 6-6 on the season. As always, there are takeaways to be had:

1. The Steelers have deflated

Sunday’s loss was one of the most painful, hard-to-watch games I’ve ever seen from Pittsburgh. And I’ve written about this team for years now and have seen some real stinkers in recent seasons.

The run defense has been the central narrative, with the Steelers giving up a whopping 249 yards — the most they’ve allowed at home since 1975 — including 4.9 yards per carry. The Buffalo passing offense wasn’t firing on all cylinders most of the afternoon, but it didn’t really matter. What the Bills wanted on the ground, they got.

Pittsburgh was down Derrick Harmon during the game and his absence was clearly missed (that first round pick continues to look like the right one) but the Steelers still had plenty of experience and talent on the front seven. T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Cam Heyward, Patrick Queen, Keeanu Benton, Payton Wilson — and yet they continually lost at the line of scrimmage.

Sure, the Bills have the best rushing offense in football right now. But they were also down their top two offensive tackles. This wasn’t some impossible assignment for the Pittsburgh defense.

It wasn’t exactly some futuristic schematics from the Buffalo ground game, either. Just simple concepts spammed over and over again, the Steelers failing to contain it, and James Cook bouncing each one outside for a chunk gain.

Watt said as much after the game, admitting he had “never seen” a team run the same play so many times.

And Watt, despite being the third-highest paid defender in the NFL in average per year, was part of the problem. Most of the time when the Bills ran successfully at the edge of the defense, it was on Watt’s side.

Reviewing the tape, if you dare, will reveal more of the problems. Some of it was clearly scheme, as the Steelers were presented with the same look over and over again and didn’t adjust to stop it. But some of it was as simple as players not winning their assignments.

On first watch, it looked like a brutal game for Yahya Black and Patrick Queen. And in NFL run defense where the margins for error are razor thin, a few bad performances can completely ruin an entire unit.

However, the Pittsburgh offense hasn’t been getting enough blame for the loss, either. While the defense had some truly pathetic moments, it still only gave up 19 points to one of the league’s most dangerous offenses. The Steelers’ offense, on the other hand, could only muster seven in what could’ve been a favorable matchup against the NFL’s third-worst run defense.

Instead, they looked the worst they have all season. Pittsburgh managed just 58 yards on the ground with 3.2 yards per rush. While some things worked, the Steelers made plenty of questionable decisions. Running on a key third and nine before punting? Sending Kenneth Gainwell up the middle on a must-have fourth down — and asking Jonnu Smith, the worst blocking tight end on the team, to seal off the defensive end? OK then.

After much hand wringing about missing Aaron Rodgers against the Bears, the Pittsburgh passing attack looked just as flat with him as it did last week without him. Rodgers continues to have no chemistry with his receivers downfield and looks uncomfortable in the pocket.

Arthur Smith’s group had some innovation earlier in the season, but they’re out of ideas now. Seven points, just one drive over six plays, and 31 less plays than Buffalo. That’s unacceptable for an NFL offense.

What’s worse is how the bad plays snowball. For yet another week, the Steelers were in the lead at the half in an ugly but clearly winnable game. Then, in the first offensive play of the second half, Rodgers was strip sacked and the Bills returned it for a defensive touchdown.

After that, the wind was out of the Steelers’ sails. Any fight the team had left was gone. Even the late-career Ben Roethlisberger Pittsburgh teams that struggled on offense tended to figure something out late in the fourth quarter. These days, it’s just the same drudgery for all 60 minutes.

Against the Bills, Renegade was booed in Acrisure Stadium. “Fire Tomlin” chants filled the air. The fans are out. And who can blame them? The players look out as well.

I’ve tiptoed around the “fire Tomlin” debate for a while. If the Steelers were never going to do it, why bother arguing it? But in the words of former BTSC editor Neal Coolong on Sunday: “If you saw the Browns playing like the Steelers have, you’d assume their coach was getting fired.”

This has become a yearly occurrence for the Steelers, and it’s only getting worse. Tomlin’s seat needs to be scorching hot right now.

2. The quarterback position is everything

While the final score makes it look like Buffalo completely outclassed Pittsburgh, that’s not entirely true. With two first half turnovers and plenty of their own miscues, the Bills played a rather sloppy game themselves.

The difference? Well, James Cook’s 144 rushing yards definitely helped. But the main difference was the Bills having an alien at quarterback in Josh Allen.

Allen’s stat line wasn’t anything that’ll make the headlines: just 15/23 for 123 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. But he made plays when it mattered, extending drives and notably shaking off sack attempts from all three of the Steelers’ top edge rushers.

Pittsburgh’s quarterback outing was the polar opposite. Pass protection was solid across the board, with the Steelers allowing just one sack on the evening. But Rodgers mustered just 117 passing yards, including several clear misses and poor pocket management. He also operated one of the worst goal-line RPO sequences I’ve ever seen.

After Rodgers’ injury scare, Mason Rudolph briefly saw snaps and managed to once again squash any narratives regarding him being the better option. He dirted a throw to an open receiver on a short pass and followed it up by overthrowing the 6’7 Darnell Washington on a deep out for an interception.

The point isn’t that I expect either Rudolph or the ghost of Aaron Rodgers to perform to the caliber of prime Josh Allen. But in slop-fest games like Sunday’s, teams’ final results tend to sink to the level of their quarterbacks. And the Steelers still don’t have anything close to an answer at the position.

When there was talk earlier this season — back when Rodgers was still making some positive plays — of bringing him back for 2026, cooler heads said wait and see. And they were correct.

The Steelers undoubtedly need to look for a new starting quarterback in 2026. Rodgers is broken. Rudolph is who he is at this point.

In no way is this an endorsement of Will Howard being “the guy” — but if the 2025 season continues to head down this path, why not see what he can do at some point? At the very least, it’s getting a young player who could be an eventual QB2 some valuable reps.

3. Odds and ends

• Pat Freiermuth didn’t get a single target on Sunday. He might not be as good of a tight end as he’s being paid, but he should still be a featured pass catcher on an offense that lacks as much talent as the Steelers.

• Brandin Echols had a good game on Sunday, recording two big third down stops early in the game, including an interception where he jumped a slant route.

• Kenneth Gainwell’s one-handed catch and run was truly an incredible play. There are still some odd gripes to be had with his usage versus Jaylen Warren’s, but Gainwell has somehow turned into one of Pittsburgh’s most impactful free agent signings. He’s been a playmaker.

• Corliss Waitman uncorked a 26-yard punt against the Bills. He’s started to struggle as the season has gone on.

• Rodgers deserves plenty of criticism for his recent play, but I’m not convinced his deep miss to Roman Wilson was completely on the quarterback. Rodgers placed the ball away from the safety and Wilson ran into the coverage instead. The throw is still somewhat off target, but not quite as bad as it should’ve been.

• Yahya Black’s overall quality of play this regular season has been a strong reminder that dominant preseasons don’t mean everything. I still believe he can develop into a quality player, but he still has a lot of developing to do.

• Darius Slay was a healthy scratch on Sunday, with James Pierre taking over as the starter full time before he was concussed. It wasn’t a banner day for the Pittsburgh defense, but still a welcome sight to see the Steelers decide to make a much-needed (and bold) change.

• The chippiness between Cam Heyward and Josh Allen was unexpected and somewhat out of character for both players. Here was the former’s take after the game:

• The Steelers did not look comfortable in pistol on offense. It was an apparently necessary check given Rodgers’ wrist injury, but you’d hope to see a better install from a professional football team.

The Steelers next take the field in a matchup against the AFC North rival Ravens — for the first time this season — on Sunday at 1 p.m. EST.

What are your takeaways from Steelers vs. Bills? Agree/disagree with the ones above? Join the Behind the Steel Curtain community and let us know in the comments!