Bills bounce back in defensively stout 9-3 preseason win over Steelers

The Buffalo Bills won their NFL preseason Week 2 clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

David Faux | Aug 17, 2024

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

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The Buffalo Bills defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 9-3 Saturday night in a preseason defensive struggle. Unless you were particularly interested in defensive battles, this game likely bored you a bit. There were still plenty of highlights and takeaways from this game, though, and that’s what we’re here to discuss.

Below we’ll highlight some players who gave some inspiring performances, inquire as to who started and sat (and perhaps why), look at a player who requires a better performance, and which position group delivered the most irksome outing.

Inspire - Young players step up:

Bills linebacker Joe Andreessen signs autographs for fans following practice. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

The game began with a bit of a surprise at one of the starting linebacker spots, as Buffalo native and roster long-shot Joe Andreessen made the start alongside Dorian Williams. The second-year defender was expected as the starter with Matt Milano being injured, but Terrel Bernard sitting and Andreessen starting were both surprises. Andreessen acquitted himself well though; while not spectacular, he looked like he belonged playing against the Steelers’ first-team unit, which is the most you can realistically ask of a player trying to make the team.

In addition, rookie fourth-round pick Ray Davis did quite well, showing good quickness in the box, acceleration through the hole, and physicality at the point of contact. The Bills drafted him to be a complement to James Cook after his Pro Bowl season in 2023, and so far through training camp and the preseason, he has shown exactly the skills the Bills have been looking for in their RB2 spot. Daequan Hardy also flashed the speed he was known for in college and has shown in training camp as a returner, though he had a questionable decision cutting back on a deep punt return. Regardless, the Bills’ staff should be very happy with how well he has played and competed throughout the summer. Finally, Javon Solomon, who had flashes throughout last week’s game, also showed good flashes around the edge in this game. A promising start for the late-round pick.

Inquire - Start vs. Sit:

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the fact that the Bills were planning to start Josh Allen in this game, some pregame rain seemed to prompt the team to hold off on playing their franchise passer. An understandable decision, which was coupled with a more interesting decision to sit starting linebacker Terrel Bernard despite the rest of the defense playing. Bernard started last week’s game against the Bears, but the Bills gave the nod tonight to the aforementioned Andreessen Saturday nitht. While certainly not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, it may offer a bit of a hint as to how much the Bills value both Allen and Bernard as the leaders and the glue to their respective sides of the ball.

Require - Keon Coleman:

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

In all honesty, it’s probably a little unfair to put Coleman here. The rookie had a good catch for a first down on an underneath route early on, but the main reason why it was a disappointing performance is that Coleman had a chance to do exactly what he was brought in to do: make tough catches and make big plays. With an opportunity to do just that in the red zone, Coleman had a Mitchell Trubisky ball forced right in between two defenders for what would have been a touchdown, and whether by a simple drop or by choice to avoid a collision, he couldn’t come up with the catch. It’s a bit much to be harping on a single play, but it is the play that he was brought to Buffalo to make, so when the opportunity arises for him to make that play and he doesn’t, it’s a bit disappointing. Nonetheless, it’s not a real concern that should make people feel worse about Coleman, who to this point, has done everything right.

Irk - Starting Offensive Guards:

Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Despite generally getting better run blocking than last week, the offensive line was once again the focus of a difficult performance this week. More specifically, starting guards David Edwards and O’Cyrus Torrence. Edwards seemed to mix up a protection call and let pressure come in early on. Torrence seemed to struggle all game, particularly as a run blocker, getting out-leveraged and overpowered at times. Neither of those things were consistent issues for Torrence as a rookie, and it’s disappointing to see some issues crop up for him and the offensive line in general. While there should be confidence in offensive line coach Aaron Kromer to get issues cleaned up, it’s something that is a bit concerning thus far in the preseason.

The Bills will finish off the preseason against the Carolina Panthers next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. While it would be surprising if the team played any starters in this finale, it’s a bit surprising they’ve played their starters as much as they have in this preseason, so it’s hard to say what to expect in next week’s game. Regardless, the Bills are looking to close this preseason strong and move into their regular season kickoff against Arizona in just a few weeks.

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