Grading the Buffalo Bills coaches game plan against the Steelers
By Preston Seyl
The Buffalo Bills coaches had a great game plan in Week 5 that helped propel them to victory
The Buffalo Bills got a big win at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The offense got back on track in a big way exploding for over 500 yards while the defense kept everything in front of them limiting the explosive plays from the trio of weapons the Steelers possess.
There was a little unknown going into the game in terms of the defensive game plan against a first-time starting rookie QB with limited tape to get a hint on his tendencies and what his strengths and weaknesses are.
It made Leslie Frazier adjust on the fly and he did just that after the first drive ended in a field goal. As the game went along, the Bills turned up the pressure and got after Pickett and helped limit his success.
Leslie Frazier and Sean Mcdermott made quick adjustments as they got a beat on what the Steelers wanted to do with their rookie QB. It was very clear from the start that Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada wanted to get the ball out of Picketts’ hands quick and target the sidelines.
This put specific pressure on Kaiir Elam and the young secondary not allowing for much help from the safeties or linebackers. The game plan was to make Pickett read the coverages and make him walk the ball down the field with 12-18 play drives.
Kenny Pickett had 327 yards on the day going for 34-52 but most of his yards were empty calories. The Bills just playing soft coverage will make him read post-snap and most of his completions were 7-10 yards sideline throws where the Bills were dropping into their particular zone. Leslie Frazier was willing to give that up, especially with how the offense was playing.
While on the offensive side, Ken Dorsey was aggressive early taking big shots and Josh Allen connected with Gabe Davis for a 98-yard touchdown on the first drive. Ken Dorsey was asserting his aggression early with his calls going after the Steeler’s secondary.
With just 20 completions for Josh Allen, he had 424 yards through the air and this personifies Ken Dorsey’s aggressive nature believing in his QB and weapons to make the big plays. Ken Dorsey neglected the running game as the passing game was hitting on all cylinders in the horizontal to vertical passing concepts. Everything about this play-calling was carefully designed to pick the Steelers’ secondary apart.
