Pittsburgh
Steelers
5-2
27
FINAL
24
Buffalo
Bills
4-3
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Wildcard Round matchup, the Pittsburgh Steelers narrowly defeated the Buffalo Bills 27-24, securing their place in the next round of the playoffs. Both teams fought hard, but it was the Steelers who emerged victorious in a contest that showcased their resilience and strategic gameplay.
Steelers quarterback Michael Penix Jr. led the way with an impressive performance, throwing for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Rico Dowdle made significant contributions on the ground with 77 rushing yards, while Michael Pittman shined as the top receiver, racking up 62 yards. This offensive trio proved too much for the Bills to handle as they orchestrated key drives throughout the game.
On the defensive side, while the Bills struggled to contain the Steelers' offense, Terrel Bernard stood out with an impressive 10 total tackles. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when the Steelers' defense made a crucial stand, forcing a turnover that allowed them to maintain their slim lead. The Bills' inability to capitalize on their opportunities ultimately sealed their fate in this tightly contested playoff showdown.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | YDS | TD | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 32 | 21 | 193 | 2 | 1 | 89.7 |
| Josh Allen | QB | 29 | 23 | 161 | 1 | 0 | 101.2 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 16 | 77 | 4.8 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| James Cook III | HB | 12 | 48 | 4.0 | 2 | 13 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 10 | 46 | 4.6 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Josh Allen | QB | 5 | 20 | 4.0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Eli Heidenreich | HB | 4 | 14 | 3.5 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Ray Davis | HB | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Dalton Kincaid | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quinshon Judkins | HB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Harold Fannin Jr | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Pittman | WR | 6 | 62 | 10.3 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
| Harold Fannin Jr | TE | 4 | 53 | 13.3 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| DJ Moore | WR | 4 | 47 | 11.8 | 1 | 29 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 5 | 41 | 8.2 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| Dalton Kincaid | TE | 3 | 40 | 13.3 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| James Cook III | HB | 7 | 25 | 3.6 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Skyler Bell | WR | 4 | 24 | 6.0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Jackson Hawes | TE | 3 | 22 | 7.3 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| A.T. Perry | WR | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Khalil Shakir | WR | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Quinshon Judkins | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrel Bernard | MIKE | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Okereke | MIKE | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Bishop | FS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Rousseau | LEDG | 6 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C.J. Gardner-Johnson | SS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maxwell Hairston | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Benford | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ed Oliver | DT | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Ramsey | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaleb Elarms-Orr | WILL | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Parker | REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Porter | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Dee Alford | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyson Campbell | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Highsmith | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Queen | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Davison Igbinosun | CB | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Landon Jackson | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Geno Stone | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deone Walker | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dorian Williams | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeShon Elliott | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calais Campbell | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marshon Lattimore | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Bass | K | 1 | 1 | 3 | 51 |
| Chris Boswell | K | 2 | 2 | 1 | 27 |

