While there are some older players on this team, there also is a young nucleus, particularly on offense.
And the growth of that unit gave this team plenty of confidence rolling into this game.
“We were very confident coming into this game,” said linebacker Elandon Roberts. “We felt we would win this game.”
They certainly could have done so if not for a couple of miscues.
That they were close in this one creates a hunger.
“I’m ready to attack the offseason training,” said rookie right tackle Broderick Jones. “I can’t wait to come back for another year with the guys.”
That’s the mantra this team needs to have.
Every season, every team is different. But this team showed this season it can compete if it plays the kind of football it needs to do to be successful – ie. playing fast and physical and taking care of the football.
• Buffalo showed extreme respect for the Steelers’ running game.
Typically a two-high safety team against everyone, the Bills played with a safety in the box throughout this game – even when they took a 21-point lead.
They were determined that they weren’t going to allow the Steelers to get any kind of footing running the ball.
“Obviously, it was an agenda for them to play one-high,” said Steelers running back Najee Harris. “We didn’t get ourselves going in the run game.”
It was an extreme tip of the cap to the Steelers running game for the Bills to play completely out of character.
“We thought they were going to be more 22-man, two-high, but first play and throughout the game, they were still playing single-high,” said Harris. “I was going to Coach T and saying, ‘They out of it yet?’ We came into the half, they were still in one-high. We obviously have to do better, but you could see their agenda was to stop the run.”
The Steelers finished with 106 yards on 23 carries, but it wasn’t the kind of running game with which they rolled through their final…
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