Steelers vs. Bills: 5 Surprises in Sunday’s Loss

The Steelers walked into Sunday’s clash with Buffalo knowing the stakes, but few expected the game to unravel the way it did. A defensive scoop‑and‑score, a quarterback milestone, and a ground game that flipped the script all combined to turn a tight contest into a lopsided 26–7 defeat.

What looked like a chance to steady the season instead exposed cracks in Pittsburgh’s offense and defense, leaving the Bills to dominate the second half and the Steelers staring at a .500 record.

Here are the top five things that stood out in the loss.

Aaron Rodgers Playing

Rodgers, who sat out the previous game against the Chicago Bears, was a surprising start after being limited in practice all week leading up to Sunday. It was revealed that Rodgers had not one, but three fractures in his left hand.

The result was Rodgers taking all of his snaps from shotgun, which limited an already limited offense. Rodgers was in visible pain, with a game plan that was designed to keep him from under center or handing the ball off directly with his left hand. Pitch and toss plays were the norm early, with Pittsburgh struggling on offense.

The Steelers would finish the day with 18 runs for 58 yards, while Rodgers would complete only 47.6% of his 21 pass attempts for 117 yards, before exiting early in the third quarter due to his hand injury. Rodgers would return after one series, but it would be all for naught.

Second Half Collapse

Rodgers’ hand injury was sustained on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. The Steelers had won the coin toss and deferred to getting the ball in the second half. It looked like a wise choice, as they were leading 7-3 and getting the ball right after halftime.

But then things would shift monumentally in Buffalo’s favor. Rodgers would take the only sack of the afternoon, by Buffalo’s Joey Bosa, who stripped the Steelers quarterback.

The fumble was recovered by Christian Benford for a touchdown. Rodgers was injured as a result of the play, leading backup QB Mason Rudolph to enter the game. Rudolph was 0-3 on his only series, ending in an interception that was a poor decision to throw into triple coverage.

The Bills would score on the ensuing drive, going up two scores, 16-7, and never looking back.

Bills Rushing Yards

Buffalo decimated the Steelers defense for the most rushing yards given up at Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field, which opened in 2002.)

James Cook carried the ball a whopping 32 times for 144 yards while Ray Davis added another 62 yards on 9 carries. Bills quarterback Josh Allen would also run the ball for 38 yards, and a touchdown, the later of which broke a career mark for scores by a quarterback, previously held by Cam Newton (who had 75 rushing touchdowns in his career.)

The run totals were ugly for the Steelers defense and impressive for a Bills offense without both of its starting tackles. Buffalo ran the ball a total of 51 times for 249 yards, which is also the most yards given up by a Steelers defense in over 50 yards. Incidentally, the last time the Steelers were crushed in the ground game was also against Buffalo, albeit 50 years ago: