Bills Open To Activating Veteran versus. Steelers: ‘It’s Certainly Possible!’
The Buffalo Bills aren’t just playing the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. They’re also playing the weather. The elements are a common issue at Orchard Park, and the chance of a snow game on Wild Card Weekend is looming. Despite being well-adjusted to the cold, spectators should be rooting for the warmest, driest game imaginable.
Not only for their fellow Bills Mafia members freezing in the stands but for the outcome of the contest as well. There’s no question Buffalo is a superior club on paper than Pittsburgh. But if the weather can render aspects of the Bills offense unavailable, the margin between these two teams decreases. Josh Allen may lessen those issues, but special teams proficiency and consistency at receiver are only hurt by inclement weather.
Subsequently, there’s a high probability the Steelers rely even more on a run game that has been the basis of their relatively poor offensive. Quarterback Kenny Pickett’s difficulties have created the door for Mason Rudolph to start a playoff game. Snow game or not, Buffalo best be ready to defend the run. That development might open the door for the “return” of defensive tackle Linval Joseph. Signed mid-season, Joseph was expected to give depth to the middle of the Bills’ defensive line, especially while DaQuan Jones missed time. He spent most of his time at nose tackle but ultimately wasn’t very productive.
For the final two games of the regular season, he was inactive. Assistant head coach Eric Washington commented about the prospect of Joseph finding his way back into the lineup, alongside Jones – rather than instead of him. “It’s certainly possible,” Washington remarked.
“That situation, who dresses, the decisions are made as far as that’s concerned is fluid from a week-to-week basis. Some of it has to do with availability and some of it has to do with the sort of offense that we will see with the next opponent, so it’s certainly a possibility.” Joseph has collected six pressures, a sack, and 12 tackles since his Buffalo debut in Week 9. He hasn’t been as successful on a down-to-down basis versus the run, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be beneficial against Pittsburgh.
Read more at: https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nfl/article284034168.html#storylink=cpyOnly four teams run the ball more often than the Steelers, who are not shy about challenging defenders between the tackles. The Bills won’t be in a rush to remove great tackle Ed Oliver off the field, but a package consisting of Jones and Joseph offers them the bulk to battle Pittsburgh’s tough style of play. A couple early-down stops may throw a mediocre quarterback behind the eight-ball and help a piping-hot defense heat up Sunday’s action. Look for the Bills to attempt and make Rudolph beat them, rather than the cloud-of-dust (snow?) running back Najee Harris may give.
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