The Bills had one preseason matchup left to play out their position battles and player evaluations ahead of roster cuts.
And Buffalo QB Shane Buechele put it to use.
The veteran quarterback had his final chance this summer to state a case for the 53-man roster in Buffalo, where he's been leading the practice squad unit for multiple seasons, and capped off a comeback in with a 2-point conversion near the end of the Bills contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Shane Buechele connects with Dante Pettis on the 2-pt conversion to give the Bills the late lead!
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RB Ian Wheeler scored a touchdown from two yards out with 1:06 remaining, when Buechele found Dante Pettis on an off-balance
throw for the go-ahead two-point conversion, and Buffalo rallied from 10 down in the final seven minutes to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-27 in Thursday's preseason finale at Highmark Stadium.
The Bills finish the preseason undefeated at 3-0.
"It was just execution," Buechele said. "Me personally, I love a two-minute drill. You just get to play free, and the guys did a good job of executing, giving guys chances. The O-line did a great job. Wheeler running hard at the end, and then Dante running a great route. Everything came together."
He already knows that Kyle Allen was signed to be and projects as the backup for starter and recent NFL MVP Josh Allen. But the practice squad veteran is not complaining, and is instead hoping he'd made his best case amidst the preseason competition.
The veteran finished 26 of 38 for 196 yards. He's hoping it will lead to staying in Buffalo.
"I love it here. I think the guys here are great. I love the guys," Buechele told WGR 550. "I love the coaching staff, the people in the building are great. It's hard to beat this place. You know what I mean? Whenever you are happy walking in every single day, and excited to go to work, I think that's rare. And so whenever you find that, man, it's hard to leave."
Buechele has been in the league since 2021. He spent time on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad before landing with Buffalo. He finally got into an NFL game last season when injuries to Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew forced the Chiefs to sign him. He completed 7-of-14 passes for 88 yards in that appearance.
He had some stong moments the week before against the Browns as well, throwing for 111 yards and a 71-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Mori Maclin. The numbers were solid. They were not enough to change the depth chart.
But the fight he and his teammates showed caught the attention of their head coach.
"I learned a lot about the mindset of both our starters, just how they were on the sidelines, but also the makeup of the football team," Joe Brady said. "… No one will remember the scores of these games and the records, but these are guys playing football. They have the opportunities to continue their careers, and it's hard playing this sport."
Josh Allen has not missed a start since his rookie season in 2018. The Bills need a reliable backup for a team with Super Bowl expectations, and Kyle Allen remains the safer bet behind the 2024 NFL MVP.
Buechele's best path forward likely runs through the practice squad again. He has already made peace with that, but Brady noted the value that playing time had for him.
"Shane's the one quarterback that hasn't got as much preseason time through the years," the HC added. "The way the game was flowing, I was like, 'I kind of just want to keep him rolling with it.'"
Buechele just wants to make sure he's in the mix to stay in the Bills' quarterback room, and will now wait to see where he lands.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Bills' Shane Buechele: 'Everything came together' in comeback vs. Steelers
