Bills Grind Out Gritty Win Over Steelers, Find Spark After Allen Hit
The Buffalo Bills are back in the win column, but it didn’t come easy. Their 26-7 road victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers was more of a street fight than a showcase, especially in a first half where the offense looked stuck in neutral. But sometimes, all it takes is one moment to flip the switch-and for Buffalo, that moment came when Josh Allen took a hit that lit a fire under the entire team.
With just under three minutes left before halftime and the Bills facing a manageable second-and-three, Allen scrambled out of the pocket and slid to the turf. As he was going down, Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen came in with a late hit-one that could’ve easily drawn a flag for unnecessary roughness but didn’t. The contact sparked immediate pushback from Allen’s teammates, who swarmed in with some post-play shoving to defend their quarterback.
It didn’t show up in the box score, but that hit may have been the jolt Buffalo needed.
“Maybe a little bit,” Allen said when asked if the moment sparked the offense. “Moving forward, probably don’t need that to get us going. This is a really good team that we just played with a fantastic defense, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, on the road, to find a win, it’s what we came to do, and we were fortunate enough to do that.”
From that point on, the Bills looked like a different team. The offense, which had been sluggish through the first 27 minutes, found rhythm and energy.
Allen started to get into a groove, and the offensive line began asserting itself. While the scoreboard won’t tell the full story, that moment felt like a line in the sand-and Buffalo responded.
Keon Coleman Makes His Return Count
Another key storyline from this one? The return of Keon Coleman.
After spending the last two weeks as a healthy scratch-reportedly due to disciplinary reasons stemming from a missed team meeting-the second-year wideout was back in uniform and back in the mix. And while his stat line won’t jump off the page (two catches for nine yards), Coleman made his touches count, including a touchdown grab that helped fuel Buffalo’s second-half surge.
It was a small step, but an important one. For a young player trying to regain trust and rhythm, getting back on the field and contributing-especially in a hostile environment like Pittsburgh-is no small feat.
The hope now is that this performance becomes a launching pad. Buffalo doesn’t need Coleman to be a 100-yard-a-game guy, but they do need him to be reliable, engaged, and ready when his number is called. Down the stretch, as the games get tighter and the stakes get higher, depth at wide receiver could be the difference between a playoff run and an early exit.
A Win That’s Bigger Than the Score
This wasn’t a pretty win. The offense sputtered early, the penalties piled up, and there were stretches where Buffalo looked out of sync.
But in the NFL, especially in December, style points don’t matter. What does matter is finding ways to win tough games on the road-especially against a Steelers team that still knows how to bring the heat on defense.
Buffalo showed resilience. They showed unity. And they showed that when things get chippy, they’re willing to rally around their quarterback and fight.
There’s still work to be done, no doubt. But if this game was any indication, the Bills might be rediscovering the edge they’ll need for the stretch run.