With the seventh seed in the AFC Playoffs up for grabs, this week's Sunday matchup is pretty vital for these two AFC teams. The (7-4) Buffalo Bills will face off against the (6-5) Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC heavyweight match.
The Bills will look to avenge Week 12's Thursday night loss to the (6-5) Houston Texans, as their No. 1 defense rattled Buffalo's offensive line, allowing a career-high eight sacks to quarterback Josh Allen. Meanwhile, the Steelers will have to make up for their Week 12 loss to the (8-3) Chicago Bears, 31-28.
With that being said, both teams need a win to not only make up for Week 12 but to move one step closer toward clinching a playoff berth. Let's take a look at this week's matchups that could determine who will come out on top.
Key matchups that need to be conqured in order to bring home a victory
1. QB Josh Allen vs OLB TJ Watt
Quarterback Josh Allen will have to make sure he gets his offensive line all on the same page, especially going up against one of the most generational outside linebackers in TJ Watt. At 6 feet, 5 inches, 237 pounds, Allen is a tank to bring down if you don't tackle him low on the ankles.
He has one of the strongest arms in the game and is a significant threat to run with his legs. Meanwhile, Watt is built to track down the quarterback at 6 feet, 4 inches, 252 pounds, and has a quick motor in rushing the quarterback.
Allen was sacked eight times last week in the loss to Houston, so don't think both Allen and Watt didn't watch the film to prepare to face each other this week. In fact, both teams should be well prepared for a hard-fought contest.
2. WR Gabe Davis vs. CB Joey Porter Jr.
This matchup features the tale between a big wide receiver against a big man-man cover corner. At 6 feet, 2 inches, 225 pounds, "Big Game Gabe" is a physical, big-bodied receiver who can box out against any corner in the league and go up for the big catches similar to a basketball player.
The Bills finally activated him onto the active roster after bringing him back from the (7-4) Jacksonville Jaguars on the practice squad. He is genuinely needed to recapture that magic he once had with Allen, especially with a depleted receiving core.
On the other hand, 6 feet 2 inches, 193 pounds, Joey Porter Jr. is a tall, athletic corner who is best in man-press coverage and plays with the same swagger as his father did as an outside linebacker. He will have a tough task going up against a talented receiver like Davis, who is a tall and skilled receiver at his position.
3. RB James Cook vs. DT Cameron Heyward
This matchup is crucial because it will be a battle in the trenches. At 5 feet, 11 inches, 190 pounds, Cook is a fast-running back who is also powerful running between the tackles.
He is also a crafty runner when his offensive line is opening up running lanes for him. The fourth-year running back has now rushed for three straight 1,000-yard seasons and is on pace for a career-high 1,675 yards this season.
He will have to continue doing that against an athletic nose tackle in Cameron Heyward. At 6 feet, 5 inches, 295 pounds, Heyward might be playing out of position and is undersized for a traditional nose tackle, but he is athletic enough to be all three techniques as a 3-4 defensive linemen.
If he wants to match up against Cook, he will have to use his high energy and skills to be able to tackle Cook to the ground. If not, it will be another productive day for the running back to possibly have another 100-yard rushing performance.
The bottom line here is that both teams have been preparing all week for this matchup, but the Bills could have an advantage with 10 days to prepare after playing on Thursday night in Week 12.