Call last Saturday’s Steelers game against the Ravens an extended prep for Sunday’s playoff against the Bills. Swap the rain and chill in Baltimore for icy cold, snow and blustery winds.
Yes, Buffalo weather forecasters even are mentioning that football-terrifying term — lake effect snow. There may even be white-out conditions. But it’s all good for Steelers running back Najee Harris. He’s welcoming it all. If you can rush for 112 in the rain, imagine what you can do in the snow at Highmark Stadium.
“We’re happy to be in those types of environments,” Harris told reporters this week. “Because it kind of separates …. the guys who really want it. It’s a mentality thing. We’re excited for the weekend, for the opportunity we have.”
The Steelers are excited to have their season extended by at least a week. Pittsbrugh earned the seventh (and final) seed in the AFC bracket thanks to beating Baltimore in week 18. They also needed the Jaguars to lose. So check that box, too.
While NFL historians believe that the Dolphins-Chiefs game, set for Saturday night in KC, might be one of the coldest playoff games ever, don’t sleep on the Steelers-Bills when it comes to wintry weather. Pittsburgh and Buffalo can both experience some hideous weather events in January. Still, this could be a memorable afternoon.
CBS Mornings, with help from the Weather Channel, did an entire segment Friday on what sort of weather to expect for the Steelers-Bills. If you don’t mind your feet turning ice cold in sympathy, give it a look.
And with nasty weather sweeping through, expect each team to focus on their running game. For one, it’s easier to control and maintain. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pointed out that since the Steelers began starting first-round rookie Broderick Jones at right tackle, the running game has turned stout. Try the fifth-best running team, averaging 145 yards a game, since week nine.
Harris, the former Alabama star, ended the regular season with consecutive 100-yard games. He also surpassed 1,000 for the season against the Ravens, making him the first Steelers running back who started his career with three straight, 1000-yard seasons. He’ll be running against a Bills defense that’s allowing 4.6 yards per carry.
Dan Moore Jr., a Steelers starter on the offensive line, is looking forward to prioritizing an old-school running game for the unpleasant conditions.
“Hopefully, it puts the onus on our backs,” Moore said of the Steelers offensive line. “That’s what we want. We have an agenda to run the ball. If that pushes it, then so be it. We would love that.”
So bring on the lake-effect snow, temps in the 20s, gale force winds, Wait, it’s warm on the couch, right?
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