With an extra day to prepare thanks to a blizzard, it still wasn't enough for the Pittsburgh Steelers to overcome the Buffalo Bills, who beat them Monday evening 31-17 in an AFC Wild Card playoff game.
After doing what needed to be done just to get into the NFL playoffs, albeit beating a starter-sitting Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 along with some help from the Tennessee Titans beating the Jacksonville Jaguars. But regardless, Mike Tomlin and his unprecedented 17 straight non-losing seasons earned their way back into the postseason. However, little chance was given to them going into what would be a raucous snowball-throwing Buffalo crowd.
The Steelers were a 10-point underdog coming into Monday's game, the largest spread of any game on Super Wild Card Weekend. Early on that showed why, as the Bills jumped out to a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter. But just before the half, the Steelers blocked a field goal that later resulted in a touchdown to cut the lead to 14.
Cutting into the lead little by little, the Steelers got within a field goal going into the fourth quarter, but containing Josh Allen was just too much to overcome, as the Bills eventually put up another score to make it 31-24, the final, ending the Steelers' season.
So, who is to blame in this AFC Wild Card loss?
George Pickens' fumble
It was a frustrating night for the Steelers, starting fairly early. With less than five minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Bills were already up 7-0, but the Steelers' defense had just forced a punt, giving the ball back to the offense. However, in just one play from their own 18, George Pickens fumbled. The frustrating part for both Pickens and the Steelers was that the play was initially called an incomplete pass, but after a Buffalo challenge, refs ruled it a fumble, giving the Bills excellent field position. In fact, it was so good, they scored just one play later on a 29-yard touchdown reception from Allen to Dalton Kincaid.
Steelers' defense can't contain Josh Allen
In the Bills' 11 drives on the night, the Steelers only forced them to punt three times. While it wasn't all bad, where the special teams came into play and blocked one field goal while the Bills missed another, they needed more from the defense.
Suffering a 21-0 first-half deficit was never going to be easy by any means, even if Pittsburgh did make a bit of a comeback. But what they really needed to make a comeback was creating turnovers against a usually turnover-prone Allen. Unfortunately, Allen was at his best on Monday, going 21-for-30 for 203 yards and three touchdowns to no interceptions. But even more impressive was Allen's ground game, where he rushed for 74 yards and another touchdown, one of those being a 52-yard touchdown run.
The Steelers just couldn't wrap up Allen, which is obviously no easy task, and only got to him twice. As usual, he was the biggest difference-maker, one that the Steelers had no answer for defensively.
Mason Rudolph's subpar play, interception
It's been obvious all season that the quarterback, which has been a revolving door all year long, needs to be addressed in the draft or possibly free agency if the Steelers want to keep pace in the AFC. In Monday's AFC Wild Card game, Rudolph completed just over half of his passes, going 22-for-39, throwing for 229 yards, two touchdowns, and one costly interception.
Inside the Buffalo 5, Rudolph threw an interception on 2nd-and-goal. A Steelers touchdown would have put Pittsburgh behind only seven. But instead, Allen drove the Bills 80 yards down the field in eight plays, capping it off with his 52-yard run, making it 21-0.
Rudolph wasn't terrible, but he was by no means great. He definitely missed plays and passes that could have extended drives. He, or any other quarterback on staff, is not the answer behind center for Pittsburgh. There's now a lot of questions in Pittsburgh needing answered heading into next season, but it starts with Tomlin.
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