Billy HeyenMon, December 1, 2025 at 4:40 AM UTC·2 min readBills show they can win like the Steelers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The wind was whipping like crazy on the shores of the Ohio River early Sunday evening in Pittsburgh.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Buffalo Bills have relied so heavily on Josh Allen to be a superhero this season, but he couldn't take flight as easily in these conditions. And so the Bills, in a manner they haven't quite done, showed they could win a different way.
It sure felt a lot like the way many of Mike Tomlin's Steelers teams have gotten the job done through the years. And it could be a crucial development that pays dividends in the frigid playoff days to come.
The final score was 26-7, with the Bills' defense playing as well as it had all season. Coupled with an unprecedented commitment to the run game, Buffalo looked like a team from the Steel City.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere were two things that stood out in the victory: One body of work, and one moment.
The body of work belonged to James Cook. The superstar running back carried the ball a remarkable 32 times. He picked up 144 yards. That 4.5 yards per carry average just churned out tough gains, over and over again. Buffalo didn't need big plays. It had Cook to keep the chains moving.
And then there was that crucial moment, right out of halftime, when new guy Joey Bosa peeled around the edge and crunched Aaron Rodgers from behind.
The ball popped out, and there was Christian Benford to pick it up and run it in for a touchdown and a 10-7 lead.
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A running game, and defense.
That's old school, winter-weather football in a way that the Bills haven't always had in recent years.
It might not be enough to chase down the AFC East title. But it should be enough to help Buffalo maintain a solid hold on a wild card spot as the stretch run continues.
On Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Bills gave the Steelers a case of their own medicine. It wasn't Jerome Bettis back there, but the much shiftier Cook. It wasn't James Harrison or T.J. Watt coming off the edge, but Bosa.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt worked all the same. Buffalo won in gritty fashion, and the Bills are back with the wagons moving in the right direction.
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