Pittsburgh Steelers

Buffalo Bills vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Three Keys to the Game

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Dec 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) celebrates after scoring on a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against the Oakland Raiders during a NFL football game at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills’ Week 14 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers kicks off on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Orchard Park.

“Doesn’t feel like it, but we’re still in the hunt here and we’re going to do everything we can to win.” Those words came from Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan this week.

Rex Ryan was right.

The Buffalo Bills are still alive and well in the playoff hunt. While things look bleak after last week’s self-destruction in Oakland, a win Sunday, followed by a three-game winning streak and a couple more things going Buffalo’s way — and the Bills are in the playoffs.

However, none of that happens without a win Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A loss this week would drop the Bills to 6-7 and would surely eliminate them from playoff contention. That cannot happen.

A matchup against the Steelers is a tall task. Pittsburgh’s offense can run with the best of them and stopping the best trio in the league will be a tough ask for the Bills defense. However, these are the games a defensive-minded Rex Ryan is supposed to win.

Offensively, the Bills will get their chances. But the pressure falls on the shoulders of Tyrod Taylor. This team can only go as far as he leads them, because if it were up to LeSean McCoy, Buffalo would have already wrapped up the AFC East.

McCoy is on pace to have one of his best seasons in years and will finish the year as Buffalo’s MVP.

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Each week during the regular season, this column will provide the three ways the Bills can secure a victory. So, without further ado, here’s the Three Keys to the Game for the matchup against the Steelers, which kicks off Sunday at 1 p.m. at New Era Field on CBS.

Dec 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) throws a pass against the Oakland Raiders during a NFL football game at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Set Tyrod Taylor Up To Succeed

Look, Tyrod Taylor is a talented athlete. Everyone knows that. However, he’s extremely inconsistent.

We’ve seen the 20-yard bootlegs for a touchdown or the 60-yard strikes to Sammy Watkins and Percy Harvin. The ability is there. Taylor just has to string plays together. He cannot go cold like he did in the second half last week in Oakland.

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And in order for Taylor to succeed, the running game has to be clicking on all cylinders. LeSean McCoy and Mike Gillislee provide one of the best one-two punches in football.

The Raiders couldn’t stop Buffalo on the ground last week, but then, all of the sudden the Bills got away from the running game in the middle of the third quarter and they started to sputter.

Even though the Steelers feature a top-10 rushing defense, Buffalo needs to keep running the ball because not only will it give its playmakers the best chance to succeed, but it’ll allow the play action to be as effective as possible. With an effective play action game, Taylor will be able to take some shots down field to Watkins and Marquise Goodwin.

One of Taylor’s greatest attributes is his deep ball. The Bills need to take a couple of shots down field Sunday if they want to be successful.

It would be wise of offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn to roll Taylor out of the pocket at times as well. Taylor is at his best when he’s moving around and this would force the Steelers to keep one more man on the box and possibly open up a pass catcher down field.

Nov 27, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Charles Clay (85) jumps to make a catch during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at New Era Field. Buffalo defeated Jacksonville 28-21. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Get Charles Clay Involved

I feel like myself, and most people honestly, say this quite often. Charles Clay is too talented to not see the ball more.

Something tells me we’ll find out at the end of the season that Clay’s knee problem was more serious than it’s been led on. But for now, Clay is still a viable target for Taylor to turn to.

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The Steelers are average against the tight end. In fact, they rank 15th against the position this season.

However, Pittsburgh has allowed either a touchdown or 55 yards receiving to the position in each of its last seven games. Clay hasn’t had 55 yards receiving in a single contest since Week 5 and is yet to find the end zone.

Maybe that will change this week?

Not to mention, the banged up Clay missed last Sunday’s game in Oakland with the birth of his child. That gives him one more week to get healthier. It could prove to be the difference this week.

With Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods and Clay all expected to be in the starting lineup Sunday, Tyrod Taylor will have more than enough options to make some moves through the air.

Pittsburgh does rank 19th against the pass after all.

December 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Seth Roberts (10) is tackled by Buffalo Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore (24, left) and defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman (21) during the third quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Bills 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Take away Antonio Brown

Rex Ryan and Co. need to make a choice. They need to take away either Antonio Brown or Le’Veon Bell. The Bills need to shut down at least one of these two, and personally, I’d choose Brown.

Buffalo has the ability to naturally shut down Bell, or at the very least slow him down. The Bills run-defense is better than what the stats tell you, ranking 26th. However, the threat of Brown is very scary.

Stephon Gilmore voiced earlier this week that he wanted to cover AB one-on-one. While that would probably be a wise choice, it looks like it’s not likely to happen.

“I wish I could follow the best receiver, but whatever the coach want me to do, I’ll do,” Gilmore said, via The Buffalo News. “It’s another good receiver this year I’m playing against. I went against a lot of great receivers and did my thing.”

However, with Ronald Darby expected to return this week, Ryan made it seem like the two corners won’t be flipping sides of the field often this weekend.

“When you do have two really good corners you feel great about, then most of the time … they’re really comfortable playing left and right,” Ryan said. “But, I will say this: Stephon is playing about as good as any corner in the league right now, probably. I mean, he’s right there. The last three weeks in particular, he’s been absolutely outstanding.

“We’ll see what we think. It’s way too early to tell you who’s going to match with who or whatever.”

Either way, Buffalo needs a big day from its cornerbacks. If the Bills can slow down Brown, they’ll have a better chance at limiting Bell, too.

Prediction: Bills 27, Steelers 20

Like last week, this feels an awful lot like a shootout.

With a high-octane offense in Pittsburgh, the Bills are going to have to score touchdowns instead of field goals when they reach the end zone. If the Buffalo offense can give Tyrod Taylor time, the second-year starter has the ability to pick apart the Steelers secondary. While three Pittsburgh defensive backs – William Gay, Ross Cockrell and Michael Mitchell – are having exceptional season, rookie Artie Burns and Sean Davis can be taken advantage of. That’s the key for Taylor and Co.

Sunday will be the first time Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods will be on the field together since Week 2. This alone could be enough to tilt the scale in Buffalo’s favor.

If it’s worth anything, the Swami picked Buffalo to win, too.

What are your predictions for Sunday’s game? Let us know in the comments below!

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