Buffalo visits Pittsburgh in a game that could have long-ranging playoff implications

By Canadian Press on November 26, 2025.

Buffalo (7-4) at Pittsburgh (6-5)

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, CBS.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Bills by 3 1/2.

Against the spread: Bills 5-6, Steelers 5-6

Series record: Steelers lead 17-13

Last meeting: Bills beat Steelers 31-17 on Jan. 15, 2024.

Last week: Bills lost to Texans 23-19, Steelers lost to Bears 31-28 in Chicago

Bills offense: overall (3), rush (1), pass (9), scoring (5).

Bills defense: overall (13), rush (30), pass (1), scoring (16).

Steelers offense: overall (27), rush (26), pass (22), scoring (11).

Steelers defense: overall (28), rush (15), pass (31), scoring (20).

Turnover differential: Bills minus-2, Steelers plus-8

Bills player to watch

RB James Cook. The fourth-year running back has been the offense’s most reliable option and is coming off his sixth 100-yard outing of the season. Cook had 116 yards rushing, including a 45-yard TD, against a stingy Texans defense. Buffalo is 5-1 when Cook tops 100 yards rushing and 6-1 when he scores.

Steelers player to watch

Pittsburgh OLB TJ Watt. A week after passing older brother J.J. on the NFL’s career sack list by getting the 114th of his career, T.J. Watt will try to do his best to keep Bills QB Josh Allen in check. Though Watt is on pace for his lowest sack total during a season not shortened by injury since he was a rookie in 2017, he remains a disruptive force for a feast-or-famine defense that either produces turnovers or gets scored on. His 36 forced fumbles lead all active NFL players and Pittsburgh’s lone victory over Allen came on a day he dropped Allen twice.

Key matchup

Bills QB Josh Allen against the Steelers secondary. Allen has toyed with Pittsburgh in recent meetings. The Steelers’ veteran-laden group of defensive backs have underperformed most of the season. Seven-time Pro Bowler Jalen Ramsey moved to safety last month after Pittsburgh lost DeShon Elliott for the season. Ramsey will play an important role in keeping an eye on Allen, particularly if Allen decides to tuck the ball and run.

Key injuries

Bills: Starting LB Terrel Bernard is not expected to play after hurting his elbow against Houston. … Buffalo could be down both starting tackles with Spencer Brown (right shoulder) unlikely to play, and left tackle Dion Dawkins in concussion protocol. … TE Dalton Kincaid (hamstring) has what coach Sean McDermott called “a chance” to return after missing two games. … Allen’s status shouldn’t be an issue even though he landed on the injury report with McDermott saying the quarterback had “overall soreness” after being sacked a career-high eight times last week.

Steelers: QB Aaron Rodgers could return after sitting out last week with a wrist injury. OLB Alex Highsmith may also be back after missing two games with a pec injury. … LT Broderick Jones (neck) is out and will be replaced by Calvin Anderson. … Rookie DT Derrick Harmon (knee) is also out. … WR DK Metcalf (ankle) was limited early in the week but could play.

Series notes

The Bills have won four of the past five meetings, all of them coming since Josh Allen became the starting quarterback. Buffalo’s run began with a 17-10 victory in Pittsburgh on Dec. 15, 2019. … Pittsburgh is 10-3 all time at home against Buffalo, though the Steelers’ most recent win over the Bills at Acrisure Stadium came 12 years ago.

Stats and stuff

The game could have long-ranging playoff implications in the AFC, where seven teams entered the week at either 7-4 or 6-5. … Including playoffs, Buffalo is 11-12 on the road since 2023, and 2-3 this season. … The Bills are 18-6 following a loss since 2020. … Allen has combined for seven touchdowns (four passing, three rushing) and six giveaways (five interceptions, lost fumble) over his past three starts. … Allen is 46-31 when committing a turnover over his career, and 2-4 this season. And his career record is 20-20 when committing two giveaways, including 1-4 this season. … Allen has been sacked 28 times this season, doubling last season’s overall total. … With 1,084 yards rushing, Cook is 38 yards from matching his career best set in 2023. And he is Buffalo’s third player to top 1,000 yards rushing in three or more consecutive seasons, joining Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas (eight straight years) and O.J. Simpson (five). … The Bills had won seven straight when allowing 15 or fewer first downs before losing to Houston. … In seven wins, the Bills have outscored their opponents in the first half by a combined margin of 122-85. In four losses, they’ve been outscored 63-26. … The Steelers have lost four of six to fall into a tie with Baltimore atop the AFC North. … Pittsburgh’s defense, the most expensive in the NFL, has allowed 31 points five times, tied with the most ever in a season during Mike Tomlin’s 19 years as head coach. … The defense has tried to compensate for a lack of stops by leading the AFC with 20 takeaways. … The Steelers are struggling to get downfield in the passing game. Pittsburgh pass catchers are averaging just 9.9 yards per reception, tied for 21st in the league. … Steelers RB Kenny Gainwell and Jaylen Warren have been carrying the offense of late. The two have averaged more than 170 yards of total offense over the past two weeks. They figure to get a heavy workload, particularly if Metcalf is limited. … Pittsburgh has not scored more than seven points in the first quarter in 61 straight games. … The Steelers and Bills have both had 10 different players catch a touchdown pass this season, tops in the NFL. … Tomlin and Bills coach Sean McDermott were teammates at William & Mary University in the 1990s.

Fantasy tip

Considering Pittsburgh’s defensive issues, Allen could put up big numbers both throwing and running. The Steelers managed just one sack last week against Chicago’s Caleb Williams, and now they face one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in the league.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

The Associated Press