Buffalo Bills: 4 early storylines for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers

Can the Buffalo Bills get pressure on Ben Rothlisberger?

For the Buffalo Bills, one of the biggest questions will be whether or not the improved pass rush was a product of the preseason or a sign of legitimate improvements. The Bills kept six defensive ends on the 53-man roster with half entering their first year with the team (Greg Rousseau, Boogie Basham, Efe Obada).

During the preseason, the Bills were able to get consistent pressure on the opposing quarterbacks with eight sacks in three games. The team’s first round pick, Rousseau, had two of the eight.

Last year against the Steelers, the Bills sacked Roethlisberger once and had five QB hits. However, the defensive ends on the team didn’t account for the sack or any of the QB hits.

If the Buffalo Bills’ defensive ends are as productive as they were in the preseason, this could spell big problems for the Steelers. The AFC North opponent has had to recently do some shuffling on their offensive line with Zach Banner, who was expected to start at right tackle, being placed on injured reserve.

The combination of potential improvements at defensive end, along with the Steelers missing a starting offensive tackle, could be a big problem for the Steelers.