Bills deserve this one against Pittsburgh

Every football fan has his or her most hated team and for some that comes in the form of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers have been amongst the elite football teams in the NFL since Ben Roethlisberger was drafted. Since then, the Steelers have won two Super Bowls and have been dominant in the AFC; this year has been no different. Entering this contest against the Buffalo Bills they had a 7-3 record. Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for the early part of this campaign for allegedly raping a 20 year old. Though he was not charged, his reputation has taken a hit and the Bills could really hurt the Steelers chance to overtake the Ravens in the AFC east conference with a victory at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The 2-8 Bills were coming off two impressive wins, including a huge comeback win in Cincinnati last week. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Chan Gailey showed their worth last week and probably have secured work for the 2011 NFL season as a result. Fitzpatrick lit up the Bengals defence for 4 Touchdowns and 316 yards passing and WR Steve Johnson hooked up for 3 TD receptions. The Bills, though their record does not show it, are much better than 2-8. They have lost a number of close games against opponents they had no chance of defeating on paper, including a few overtime losses. This week against the Steelers, the Bills defence had to show up, as the offense has been carrying the Bills this season, a Bills defence which is last in the league in stopping the run. This afternoon’s tilt was a game of two halves for Buffalo, a trend which Bills fans are all too familiar with. During the first half, the Bills looked sluggish on offence and barely made an appearance on the field. The Steelers dominated the time of possession and forced a lacklustre Bills defence to remain on the field.

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Rashard Mendenhall rushed in for a TD midway through the first quarter giving Pittsburgh a 7-0 lead. Steelers Running Back Mendenhall has had a stellar season and exploited Buffalo for 36 carries and 151 yards rushing. Suisham kicked two 45 plus yard field goals to put Pittsburgh up 13-0 at halftime. But the second half was a one hundred and eighty degree shift as the Bills dominated. Fred Jackson and Fitzpatrick connected on a 65 yard touchdown play that narrowed the lead to 6. The Bills showed heart and determination once again. Playing the underdog role is something the 2010 Bills are accustomed to and they rose to compete this day. Roethlisberger did not have a “big play” today, and his stats were not too impressive with only 233 yards passing, however Fitzpatrick didn’t fare much better completed barely half of his 45 pass attempts for 245 yards. The game was a field goal fest as Ryan Lindell connected on a two field goal attempts in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 13.

The Bills have to be applauded for their effort each week. They overachieve regularly and have only two wins to show for it. Today they fought back against arguably the best team in the NFL. Steelers’ kicker Suisham was good on a 48 yard FG, giving Pittsburgh the lead once again. But the resilient Bills marched down the field and with less than a minute remaining in the game, Lindell was good on a 49 yard FG to tie it up, but it was disallowed because Pitt called a timeout. Lindell forced to kick again, was good on his attempt forcing another overtime decision for Buffalo. In overtime, the Bills had momentum, the encouragement of 30000 Bills fans and a perfect pass from Fitzpatrick to Steve Johnson, only to have Johnson drop a ball through his hands, off his numbers in the endzone. Johnson went from hero last week, to goat this week all in the lapse of a second. The game was lost at that moment, though the score remained tied at 16. The Bills forced to punt, never saw the football again. Suisham connected on his fourth field goal of the day to give the Steelers this one. The Bills drop to 2-9 and have a date with Brett Favre and the Vikings next week in Minnesota.

By Ranhvir Samra
ProFootball-fans.com Buffalo Bills Correspondent