Bills @ Steelers
Final Score: Bills 9 – Falcons 3
Writer: Zach Whetsel
Rough QB play was the defining factor in the final score of this game, although fans of one of these squads can thankfully look past that when projecting for the upcoming regular season. Both teams flashed things to be pleased about with their skill group talent, but the Steelers also suffered a loss in that department, with RB Jaylen Warren going down in the 2nd quarter due to a hamstring injury. Lastly, Buffalo won the line play here as well. Greg Rousseau looked quite good, while neither team’s offensive lines seemed to have their best nights.
Three Up
- Ray Davis – The rookie 4th-round RB had a very nice night. He looked well-rounded, balanced at the point of contact, and in control. Davis did well making his case as a strong compliment to James Cook.
- George Pickens – He didn’t play much, but Russell Wilson still has a deep ball and Pickens can still haul them in. Although Pickens only posted 1 catch for 4 yards, he made an incredible catch that left him just hardly out of bounds on a potential big play. I expect we will see those fairly often this year, and he’ll reel them in more often than not.
- Greg Rousseau – Although he won’t be a direct contributor on most fantasy teams (I see you, IDP nerds) Rousseau continued making his case as the next best young talent at edge rusher for this Bills squad. He played very limited minutes and still recorded 2.5 sacks against the Steelers’ starters- he may be a force to look out for when deciding starts later this season.
Three Down
- Russell Wilson – He can still throw a nice moonball, but that’s about it. Posted the most properly uninspiring Russell Wilson stat line you’ll see- 8/10, 47 yards, 3 sacks.
- Justin Fields – He somehow might be worse as a passer and decision-maker than Wilson. He’s at least got his athleticism to rely on, and it made for some exciting moments, but he was equally uninspiring in his own ways.
- Steelers’ Offensive Line – This has to be the full group – their second-year RT Broderick Jones did not look good, and it seems a full overhaul did not fix the rest of the line either. Additionally, their starting center Nate Herbig may miss the entire season after tearing a rotator during the match. Look for rookie 2nd-round pick Zach Frazier to slot into his place.
Bills
Quarterback
Josh Allen: 0 snaps
Josh Allen was expected to play tonight, but due to some rain in the forecast, the team decided they didn’t need to trot him out there. They know as well as we do that his health is much more important to their season than knocking off a little rust right now.
Mitchell Trubisky: 9/13, 86 yards, 1 int, 2 sacks | 1 carry, 4 yards
Mitch was booed by his home crowd of the past couple of seasons as he put up a bad showing against the Steelers. He didn’t seem particularly accurate and left the field in the 2nd quarter under his own power with a knee injury that ended his night.
Notes
- Trubisky looked exactly as we’d expect… he sailed passes high and seemed slow to process the field. The offense looked best when they took the ball out of his hands.
Missed Opportunities
- Mitchell’s interception came on a ball that he sailed badly over the middle of the field. He dropped it right into the lap of trailing Pittsburgh safety Miles Killebrew. It encompassed his night that looks a bit better on paper than via the eye test, especially considering it’s preseason.
Running Back
Ray Davis: 8 carries, 58 yards
Ray Davis was the best offensive player on both sides of the ball today. He looked on point all game and made the most of his playing time this week after the Bills didn’t even try to get the run going last week against the Bears.
Notes
- He looked extremely solid in his limited touches, and really took advantage of the one drive that the team practically gave to him to start the second half. On that drive alone he recorded 49 yards on six carries, defining his night as a good one in a quick succession of touches. Look to see him get more work next week and hopefully take over a role as the thunder to James Cooks’s lightning in the Bills’ rushing attack.
Frank Gore Jr: 8 carries, 41 yards
The undrafted son of legendary RB Frank Gore had himself a good night as well, as he hopes to make the team as the RB3 or 4 on the final roster. He did not flash nearly as much as his fellow rookie Ray Davis, recording 17 fewer yards on the same 8 touches, but he did well for himself regardless and contributed to the team’s overall successful night rushing the ball.
Notes
- Expect to see him get lots of action next week as he competes for a spot at the bottom of the depth chart. He may be a practice squad candidate if the Bills like Darrynton Evans more. Darrynton Evans got a similar amount of run and put up a similar stat line – we will see who the Bills keep around, but with Evans already being 26 years old, we hope that they see upside in Frank Gore Jr that might make him worth rostering in deeper leagues.
James Cook: 6 carries, 25 yards, 1 reception, 6 yards
James Cook had a boring night. He caught his only target for 6 yards and didn’t pop off the screen on any of his runs. Thankfully, his role is already defined, and much better offensive output overall can be expected once Josh Allen steps onto the field.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Keon Coleman: 3 targets, 1 reception, 12 yards
Keon Coleman played quite a lot of snaps today to have only recorded 1 reception, however we can rest easy knowing how poorly the combined performances of all QBs in this game were. Still, worth noting that he played through the first drive of the third quarter before finally being pulled.
Quinton Morris: 4 targets, 2 catches, 20 yards
Morris’ long catch of 17 yards was a nice play, but he feels hardly worth mentioning here. The Bills starters did not get much run or much done in this game, so he got a few opportunities and was truthfully the highlight of the Bills’ receiving day.
Steelers
Quarterback
Russell Wilson: 8/10, 47 yards passing, 3 sacks
While the sacks cannot fall squarely on Russ’ shoulders, they are nothing new in his career and we should expect more of the same this season. He looked slow to process, slow to move, and failed to do much at all other than almost connecting on a pretty deep ball to George Pickens. I just don’t see much to truly look forward to about his upcoming season.
Notes
- I hate to be so down but this showing just didn’t give us many positives to work with. He commanded three-and-outs on the first three drives and his best moment was ultimately an incomplete pass.
Missed Opportunities
- He did, of course, throw a nice deep ball to George Pickens, who caught it one-handed but didn’t truly establish possession before his trail foot had slipped out of bounds. I’d expect at the very least to see more of that this season, and they will hit just like with Courtland Sutton last year.
Justin Fields: 11/17 passing, 92 yards | 8 carries, 42 yards
Fields did not look great tonight either. He missed badly on a long ball to WR TJ Luther with about 5 minutes left in the game which would have put the Steelers in the lead, but he also contributed more on offense than Russell Wilson via his athletic abilities. Fields converted a 3rd-and-7 in the 3rd quarter by spinning out of a sack and completing a perfect running throw along the left sideline to WR Dez Fitzpatrick. It was by far his greatest moment of the night and the exact reason why people still believe in his talent despite the overall results.
Notes
- He can run, that’s for sure, although his lack of pocket awareness and slow processing will still cause trouble behind this suspect Steelers O-line. Regardless, I think he generates more excitement and potential for quick scores than Russell Wilson, which may be the only way this offense can make things happen this season.
Missed Opportunities
- Fields also made the wrong read on what seemed to be an RPO on 4th and 2 late in the game… There may have been a bubble screen open up top, and additionally just handing the ball off to his RB would have been more successful than what ultimately took place, but Fields decided to keep the ball. He tried to run wide for it but ended up losing 7 yards on the failed play. He made the worst choice there in doing what often feels like his only real talent: running.
Running Back
Najee Harris: 4 carries, 17 yards rushing
Najee didn’t do anything spectacular here, although he is now cemented in a role with heavy usage heading into week 1, at least for the time being, due to his running-mate Warren’s injury in the second quarter. If anything, that should just help his involvement in the passing game, as Warren hauled in two passes compared to Najee’s 0.
Notes
- The offensive line didn’t look great tonight and their starting center is now going to be out for what could be the entire season. The Pittsburgh offense won’t be great this season but if Najee manages to show up with some juice he could still be one of the lone bright spots.
Jaylen Warren: 1 carry, 1 yard | 2 catches, 14 yards
He looked like the main receiving back for this starting lineup, as expected, and he may get lots of checkdowns from a QB room that doesn’t excel at pushing the ball downfield. However, he suffered a hamstring injury in the 2nd quarter and is expected to miss some weeks.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
George Pickens: 1 reception, 4 yards
He flashed his same old talent but failed to post an impressive stat line, along with the rest of this offense.
Notes
- He will likely be on the receiving end of a solid number of deep targets from Russell Wilson this year, provided he starts. Either way, he looks to be far and away the best receiver on this team, with only Freiermuth alongside him boasting obviously legit talent. I hope to see him peppered with targets on a mostly bad offense come the regular season.
Missed Opportunities
- His best play of the night was an incompletion, with Pickens hauling in one of the best catches of his career, only for the ball to stop spinning just after his trail foot dragged out of bounds. It was a one-handed beauty of a snag on the throw from Russell Wilson, and you can expect to see those convert sometimes as well.
Pat Freiermuth: 1 reception, 10 yards
He didn’t flash anything tonight, mostly because he didn’t get the chance. I don’t think it’s a complete condemnation of his upcoming season, but I also wouldn’t expect to see him getting many valuable red-zone targets either.
Notes
- He caught one pass for 10 yards on a 3rd-and-11. Wilson hit him underneath, and he trundled as far as he could, deploying a semi-successful stiff arm along the way. There’s not much more he could have done- he’s a guy that they will hopefully learn to count on more often.
Dez Fitzpatrick: 2 receptions, 32 yards
He had himself a fine game, but I don’t think he’s bringing anything valuable to your lineup. Best to leave Dez on the waivers this season.
Van Jefferson: 3 receptions, 19 yards
Unfortunately for all the Van Jefferson lovers out there, I think this coming season may not be the best for his success. He did haul in a few passes, tied with Scotty Miller for the Pittsburgh lead today, but I only think he’s worth listing because of his past relevance. Whatever he occasionally produced for the Rams, expect a downgrade here.