The Buffalo Bills (1-1) went into Saturday’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (0-2) expecting to put in a much better performance than in their first preseason game last week against the Chicago Bears. Although star quarterback Josh Allen and the other regular players did not play, the Bills were able to win their first preseason game and did better than they did against the Bears.
The Bills beat the Steelers 9-3 at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, and although Buffalo ultimately came out on top, it was largely due to the combination of the weather and defense that stifled Pittsburgh’s offense. Kicker Tyler Bass scored all nine points for a Bills team that ran for 167 yards but rushed for just 78 yards between former Steeler Mitchell Trubisky and Ben DiNucci.
While the passing offense was mostly nonexistent on both teams due to the weather and both teams’ attempts to get their revised offensive strategies on track, both teams’ defenses were strong and many players had unique moments. Here’s the Bills’ stock report after Saturday’s win over the Steelers:
Stock up: K Tyler Bass
After making 3 of 3 field goals in that game, Bass is now 5 of 5, showing the consistency of one of the better kickers in the NFL. As mentioned above, the Bills couldn’t do much on offense outside of the running game, and with the inclement weather in Pittsburgh, Bass’ kicking was something Buffalo needed from him if they were going to score points.
Share price dropped: Backup quarterback
Trubisky was far from bad in this game, completing 9 of 13 passes for 86 yards on a day where he was a surprise starter after Josh Allen never took the field due to precautionary reasons. He threw an interception and also left the game early with a knee injury, meaning Ben DiNucci had to step in to finish the game for the Bills. Trubisky will most likely be the primary backup to Allen, so here’s hoping his injury isn’t too serious.
Addition: DE Greg Rousseau
Rousseau was a man on a mission on Saturday, as he tallied 2.5 sacks, including a nice play where he broke through two offensive linemen to catch Russell Wilson, who tried to throw the ball away to avoid the sack. With Leonard Floyd no longer on the team, Rousseau will have to step in for a Buffalo team that needs to be able to get to the quarterback, and it’s starting to look like he’s up to the challenge.
Stock Down: Passing Game
Aside from the bad weather, the Bills’ passing game didn’t look great against the Steelers. The fact that they managed just 78 yards while allowing three sacks in just 18 attempts leaves a lot to be desired for a team that relies on replacing the performance of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis with a committee approach.
Stock up: Joe Andreessen
Andreessen entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and is playing like he wants to prove doubters wrong, having made 12 tackles, seven of which were solo and two for losses. Andreessen grew up in Buffalo and played college football at Buffalo University, so if he can continue to put on performances like he did in Pittsburgh, he may one day be able to say he’s playing professional football for his hometown team.
Add: Running game
Unlike the aforementioned passing offense, the running game gave Bills fans a lot to be proud of, considering how difficult the team had moving the ball through the air. Four different running backs logged at least 25 yards of ground work, and the star of the show was rookie Ray Davis, who had a day with eight carries for 58 yards (7.3 yards per carry) and whose longest play was a 19-yard run that could have been a touchdown for him.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Stocks Rise, Stocks Fall After Bills’ Preseason Victory Over Steelers
