Buffalo Bills @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Final Score: Bills 26, Steelers 7
Writer: Cesar Escajeda
The Bills traveled to Pittsburgh and ran roughshod over the Steelers, gaining the most rushing yards by a visiting team since Acrisure Stadium opened while outright bullying Aaron Rodgers in a lopsided victory.
Two Up
- Josh Allen — The overall QB2 for the 2025 season had himself a quiet day overall, but with his 76th rushing TD he became the all-time QB rushing TD leader in NFL history — surpassing Cam Newton. The 8-yard score in the fourth quarter shut down any comeback aspirations for Pittsburgh and came behind a starting line missing it’s two top tackles. His opening-drive interception was rough, and 123 yards passing total is worse — but the historic nature of his game warrants placement here.
- Bills running backs — A makeshift O-line missing key pieces, coupled with strong wind gusts forced the Bills to lean on their running game — and it was definitely the right decision. Between Allen and the three Bills RBs to tote the rock, Buffalo amassed 249 yards on the ground, shoving it right down the throat of the Steelers’ defense. On multiple drives, it appeared that the Bills ran the exact same running play over and over, and it made no difference — Pittsburgh could not stop them in the second half. It was an impressive team display overall after a slow start, though fantasy managers relying on James Cook III to have a singularly dominant performance in a game like this were likely very disappointed.
Two Down
- Aaron Rodgers — Rodgers looked rusty for the majority of the game, and an absolute pummeling on a single play (adding to his already-broken wrist) didn’t help either. In the third quarter with Pittsburgh leading by four points, the veteran got set to pass and was rocked from behind by DE Joey Bosa — driving Rodgers into the turf, hand- and face-first while knocking the ball loose, allowing CB Christian Benford to scoop and score. Rodgers took a while to get back up, bleeding from his nose as a result of the sack and leaving the game for a drive before ultimately returning. It was the only sack allowed by the Steelers, but it was enough to smother the offense as Rodgers would complete less then half of his passes on the afternoon in an abysmal offensive performance.
- Khalil Shakir — There really aren’t any dominant options in the WR corps for Buffalo, and while Shakir had had a nice stretch of games as the de facto WR1 for the Bills earlier in the season, he’s quickly faded back to irrelevance — even with such a massive need in the passing game. Against the Steelers it was no different, as Shakir went on to finish with a single catch for 4 yards, registered late in the third quarter. The opportunity has been there, but the numbers are not even fantasy roster-worthy at this point.
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
Josh Allen: 15/23, 123 Yards, TD, INT | 8 Carries, 38 Yards, TD
Not exactly the fireworks fantasy owners were hoping for, and Allen’s game started rough enough with an inexplicable interception as the Bills were driving — but his NFL-record 76th career rushing TD was an electric one, with his offensive line pushing him and the pile the extra 3 yards needed to get into the end zone. Buffalo was content to sit back and run the ball all afternoon, and the ability of Allen to rush certainly added to that game plan.
Running Back
James Cook III: 32 Carries, 144 Yards, 2 Fumbles (1 Lost) | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 33 Yards
A monster amount volume for the Bills’ backfield in this one and James Cook III was the main beneficiary, racking up nearly 200 yards of total offense. Pittsburgh simply could not stop them, and it was exceedingly obvious what Buffalo was trying to do and even how it wanted to do it. As successful as Cook was through the tackles, he had a fumbling issue rear its ugly head — with the Steelers managing to recover one and subsequently score to keep the game close early on. The lack of TDs was also a letdown, but why hand it off when you can simply have your 6-foot-5 QB run it?
Ray Davis: 9 Carries, 62 Yards
Ray Davis had the highest average per carry on the ground (6.9), spelling Cook as needed with great success. It was a bit unexpected given his relative lack of use in the season, but he played well. I wouldn’t expect anything to really come of it though, given the Bills’ staff still chose to hand Cook more than two-thirds of all the carries.
Ty Johnson: 2 Carries, 5 Yards | 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 20 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Dawson Knox: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 28 Yards
As evident with Dawson Knox leading all Bills TEs and WRs with a measly 28 yards receiving, it wasn’t a very prolific passing attack on the day. Still, Knox felt reliable down the middle and his catches helped to extend drives when the moment called for them. The veteran is still a threat with the ball in his hands, and Allen trusts him.
Brandin Cooks: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 13 Yards
Buffalo is desperate for a true threat in the WR corps, and they brought in well-traveled veteran Brandin Cooks to contribute. It wasn’t much, but it was honest work at least. It may take some time for him to settle in and earn more targets, however.
Keon Coleman: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards, TD
Back from a two-game stint as a healthy scratch for disciplinary reasons, Keon Coleman made the most of his looks with a 1-yard reception to score in the third quarter. Not voluminous by any means, but considering Allen chose to look his way at the goal line may be promising going forward — assuming he learned from his earlier mistakes.
Jackson Hawes: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 10 Yards
Gabe Davis: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
Khalil Shakir: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers: 10/21, 117 Yards, Fumble (Lost) | 1 Carry
The Steelers’ offense was extremely pedestrian against Buffalo at home, though it actually held the lead going into the third. The strip sack and score off of Aaron Rodgers was the play that broke the game open, and his absence on the ensuing drive doubled down on that fact. Suddenly down 16-7, the game was not out of hand but Rodgers could not will the team forward consistently enough, and drive after drive faltered down the stretch. The injuries seem to be mounting for the veteran and it remains to be seen just how well he can hold up with the AFC North lead on the line.
Mason Rudolph: 0/3, INT
The stat line says more than I ever could.
Running Back
Jaylen Warren: 10 Carries, 35 Yards, TD | 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards
The running game for Pittsburgh wasn’t really carving out huge chunks, but Jaylen Warren kept at it enough to punch in an early TD to claim the lead midway through the second quarter. That was virtually it for the young RB, and the Steelers’ offense would get shutdown and shut out the rest of the way.
Kenneth Gainwell: 5 Carries, 20 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 25 Yards
Kenneth Gainwell still gets his touches, though it was telling that Warren persisted more on the ground and even in the passing game late. He was slightly more efficient with his carries (4.0-3.5 YPC), but without a TD to buoy his fantasy numbers, it was a solidly meager day.
Kaleb Johnson: 2 Carries, 3 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Darnell Washington: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 45 Yards
The big man at TE is carving himself a decent niche down the middle for this offense, and it’s fun seeing him with the ball in his hands. He towers over defenders, and while he doesn’t appear to be the most athletic player out there, he runs hard and is even harder to bring down. He tied for second in targets overall and was involved late with the focus shifting to airing the ball out, something positive to monitor down the stretch.
DK Metcalf: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 32 Yards
DK Metcalf led the team lead in targets and finished second in yardage, though it didn’t amount to much in this one. Its hard to pinpoint why the offense is so anemic, but for stretches it felt like Metcalf would just disappear. He was also involved late, which again is promising, but his numbers don’t inspire confidence as the team’s WR1.
Jonnu Smith: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Ben Skowronek: 1 Target
Calvin Austin III: 2 Targets
Roman Wilson: 1 Target