3 key stats from the Buffalo Bills win over the Pittsburgh Steelers

Khalil Shakir's First Career Postseason Touchdown

One of the very underrated aspects of the Bills' crazy run to end the season was the ascension of wide receiver Khalil Shakir. The interim offensive coordinator, Joe Brady, loves to use all the pieces available to him, and Shakir has benefited from it. It is in direct correlation to an improved Bills offense down the stretch. Shakir ended the regular season with a stat line of 39 catches, 611 yards, an 86.7% catch percentage, and two touchdowns.

While his stats aren’t mind-blowing, it was all about when Shakir showed up. When the Bills have needed big and clutch plays, he’s been the guy in most games down the stretch. He’s also been very reliable; in the last four games, including the playoff game, he’s been targeted 16 times and has caught every pass. Against the Steelers, it was no different. The offense needed a touchdown to put the nail in the coffin and help the injured defense, and it was once again Shakir.

The game-icing touchdown was the first post-season touchdown of Shakir’s young career, and it was an insane one. It was a three-yard slant route that Shakir caught while Minkah Fitzpatrick was bearing down on him. Somehow, Shakir shook off Fitzpatrick, juked out multiple defenders when he cut it back to the middle of the field, and turned it into a 17-yard touchdown. According to Next Gen Stats, Shakir had only a 0.7% chance to score when he caught the ball, and he added 14 yards of YAC over expected.