The best thing about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills is that it’s now over.
I’m only kidding. Sort of.
The Steelers closed their preseason with a 28-27 loss to the Buffalo Bills. With this being the final exhibition contest, it also marked the final chance for several players to show they are worthy of a roster spot. Of course, a lot of the attention would be on the quarterback position, as Will Howard and Drew Allar were once again the only two quarterbacks to take
the field.
Despite Howard throwing a pair of interceptions in Week 2 against the New York Jets, he was the starter to close out the preseason, which started with a sack on the first play of scrimmage for the offense. The Steelers punted after a three-and-out, but were bailed out by a muffed punt from Bills running back Ray Davis. On the ensuing play, Germie Bernard took a screen pass 13 yards for a touchdown, making cornerback Max Hairston miss in the open field on his way to the end zone.
The Steelers got another break on special teams, as Bills punter Mitch Witchnowski shanked a punt, setting the Steelers up inside the 30 yard-line. Five plays later, Lake McRee took a short pass and dove over Bills defenders into the end zone for a five yard score.
And while Howard had a pair of touchdowns to his name in the box score, his play was subpar, to say the least. While facing pressure, he went 2-of-4 for a net of -7 yards and three sacks. He also threw his third interception of the preseason on a ball that looked as if it was intended for Bills safety Damar Hamlin. And while it looked as if there was a miscommunication between quarterback and receiver, three interceptions in exhibition play is incredibly difficult to defend. Howard ended his day going 9-of-15 for 69 yards and the aforementioned two touchdowns and interception.
Drew Allar led a touchdown-scoring drive to open the second half. An 11-play, 68-yard drive saw Allar go 3-of-4 for 34 yards, including a 25 yard completion to Max Hurleman, and was capped off with a nine-yard touchdown run by Eli Heidenreich. The touchdown run featured a great lead block by rookie right tackle Max Iheanachor, who led the way for Heidenreich and cleared a path for him at the goal line.
The play of the night, though, came once again from the Steelers’ special teams unit. After a slow night, Kaden Wetjen took a punt 45 yards for a touchdown to put the Steelers up 27-17, showing exactly why the Steelers felt comfortable spending a fourth-round pick on him.
The Bills would come back and score 11 unanswered points to take a 28-27 lead. Pittsburgh had a chance to drive downfield to kick a potential game-winning field goal, but turned the ball over on downs after three incompletions, leading to the 28-27 loss. Allar finished the night 9-of-18 for 88 yards.
While the main focus was on the offense and the quarterback play, multiple defenders did all they could to put on good final impressions. Devan Boykin led the team with nine tackles, and D’Shawn Jamison had a pair of tackles for loss and broke up a pass. Julius Welschof also netted a pair of tackles for loss and a sack, while Anthony Goodflow and Kevin Jobity each registered a sack a piece.
Robert Spears-Jennings continues to impress, and it will be very hard to see him not get a spot on the 53-man roster. Elandon Roberts picked up where he left off against the Jets and looks keen to get on the field in Week 1.
With the preseason now over, the Steelers will begin making their final roster cuts down to 53 before getting ready to officially open their season against the Atlanta Falcons. To keep up with every cut, be sure to follow along with our roster tracker between now and Sunday night when final cuts must be made.
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