For an unpredictable team, we can count on this much about the Pittsburgh Steelers: Whether it’s a road game against a three-win team or a home game against an opponent seeking to crack double-digit victories, it will be a close game.
For the th time in games, it came down to a fourth-quarter finish and a game decided by seven points or less.
What you don’t know is how it’s going to end.
This one came down to the Steelers looking for a comeback by Devlin “Duck” Hodges, who had a pair of passes intercepted in the end zone in the final two minutes, the first by Buffalo strong safety Jordan Poyer with 1 minute, seconds remaining and the second by cornerback Levi Wallace with six seconds left.
Hodges finished with four picks and the Steelers with five turnovers, and you can’t win that way.
The final score: Bills (**********************************************, Steelers (******************************************************. ********
1.Pick or punt ?:Facing a third-and – 20 at their own (************************************, the Steelers took a risk by having Hodges throw deep to James Washington down the right sideline.
When Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White picked off the pass at the Buffalo (********************************************, it was viewed as comparable to a punt. If so, it was only a 35 – yard punt instead of one that pinned the Bills deep in their own territory.
The Steelers did not fare much better in their second possession, when they punted from their own (************************************************. Jordan Berry shanked it for 22 yards to the Steelers 40
That’s when it became a problem.
Whether by pick or punt, the Steelers put themselves in a precarious position. And the Bills made them pay, thanks to a – yard run by Josh Allen on third-and – followed by his
************************************ (- yard pass to John Brown on fourth down.)
Allen capped a nine-play, 40 – yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead at (**************************************************: 26 of the second quarter.
Now the Steelers needed Hodges to throw.
2. Going deep:On first down, Hodges looked deep left for Washington, who hauled it in a – yard gain.
It was the fifth catch of yards or more by Washington in the past four games. According to Pro Football Focus, the second-year receiver has caught seven of eight catchable passes of – – plus yards downfield.
That was followed by a Bills offside penalty and a Kerrith Whyte first-down run. But Bills outside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds blew up a direct snap to Jaylen Samuels for a 3-yard loss, and Hodges threw incomplete, first under pressure and then into triple coverage.
Chris Boswell delivered a 54 – yard field goal to cut it to 7-3 with 14: left in the first half. Boswell is eight of nine on field goals from 49 – yards this season.
Next, the Steelers turned to their best offense, which is to say their defense.
When Allen overthrew 5-foot-8 receiver Cole Beasley, cornerback Steve Nelson picked off the tipped pass at the Steelers and returned it********************** (yards to the Buffalo) **********************************************. ********
Just when it looked like the Steelers were poised to take a lead into the half, running back James Conner fielded a low snap, and his handoff was fumbled by Diontae Johnson at the Bills’ 9.
It wouldn’t be Johnson’s last fumble.
3. Turning point:The Steelers got the ball to start the second half, and they wasted no time giving Johnson a chance to redeem himself.
And he did, to some degree.
On the first play of the third quarter, Hodges found Johnson for a – – yard gain, but the rookie receiver fumbled. Luckily for the Steelers, Tevin Jones pounced on it for a recovery.
Hodges converted a third-and-3 with a 4-yard pass to Zach Gentry, the first NFL catch for the rookie tight end and an important one as it extended a scoring drive.
Conner followed with a – yard run and, two plays later, caught an – yard touchdown pass to give the steelers a 10 – 7 lead at (****************************************************: of the third.
But could they keep it?
4. Duck throws a duck:The Steelers defense forced a turnover when T.J. Watt stripped Devin Singletary, and Mike Hilton recovered at the Pittsburgh 40.
But Hodges fumbled on second down – left tackle Alejandro Villanueva recovered – and was sacked for a 7-yard loss on third down, and the Steelers had to punt .
The defense came up big again, forcing a three-and-out. And Hodges converted a third-and-1 with a quarterback sneak for a 4-yard gain.
But when Hodges looked to Johnson again, it resulted in another turnover. His pass to the right sideline was picked off by White, who returned it (yards to the Steelers) with 1: 26 left in the third quarter.
Despite having a first-and-goal at the 8, the Bills had three consecutive plays for losses and had to settle for a – – yard field goal by Stephen Hauschka to tie it 10 – (********************************************************.
The Steelers had proven they couldn’t count on their offense. Now, it was up to the defense.
5. Downtown Brown:For all the talk about stopping Allen, the Steelers should have been more concerned with John Brown.
In two previous games at Heinz Field, the former Arizona Cardinals receiver had tortured the Steelers for (catches for 823 yards and a touchdown. That included a three-catch, 327 – yard game with a score on “Sunday Night Football.”
Brown needed 92 yards to eclipse the 1, 12 – yard mark for the season, becoming the first Bills receiver since Sammy Watkins in 2015 and the first to do so in 16 games since Lee Evans in 2015.
Brown broke that barrier with a – yard catch along the Steelers sideline, beating Nelson for the big gain.
That wasn’t even Brown’s biggest play.
The Bills got a break when Brown recovered a Singletary fumble at the Steelers 17. Two plays later, Allen found tight end Tyler Kroft for a 16 – yard touchdown to give the Bills a 20 – (lead with 7: remaining.
Then it came down to Duck and a wing and a prayer.
Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Kevin by email at[email protected]or via Twitter.
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