Varsity & JV: Winners and losers from Steelers loss to Bills

We are somehow at ground zero while simultaneously being on grounds walked before for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh has lost five of its last seven, sparking yet another collapse in the back half of the season – I’ll be doing a piece on the history of collapses over the last two decades, so keep an eye out for that.

In the meantime, though, let’s get through what will be a very brief edition of Varsity and JV.

Varsity

CB Brandin Echols

Echols had a terrific first quarter. He read the screen to Khalil Shakir on the first drive perfectly (even if the pass was incomplete) and picked off Josh Allen to end the Bills’ first drive. He also had two pass deflections on the night.

EDGE Nick Herbig

Herbig had two tackles for loss and was in on the fumble by James Cook recovered by Patrick Queen.

Junior-Varsity

EDGE T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith

Zero sacks on backup tackles. Good thing the Steelers made sure Watt made more money than Myles Garrett for him to not even be half as good as the Browns’ star. As for Highsmith, he’s constantly injured and isn’t as good as Herbig. If the Steelers do finally rip the band-aid off this offseason, Watt and Highsmith should both be traded.

Run Defense

The Bills ran for 249 yards, which is the most in the history of Acrisure Stadium. James Cook took the first play from scrimmage for an 18-yard gain, and that set the tone for the evening. Mina Kimes of ESPN posted a screenshot that summarized the game of Ray Davis having a two-lane highway to run through.

Entire Offense

Who played well offensively? Kenneth Gainwell made a pretty nice one-handed catch, but that’s the only notable offensive play that comes to mind. The receiving corps is worse than it was in 2024, DK Metcalf couldn’t separate a yolk from an eggshell, and the Steelers totaled just 166 yards of offense. Additionally, Aaron Rodgers and the pass-catchers never being on the same page is taking a big toll on the offense.

QB Mason Rudolph

Rudolph went 0-for-3 and threw an interception that had as much hang time as a punt. Hopefully that ends any cries from the portion of the fanbase begging to see Rudolph “get a shot.” Nice guy, solid backup, but he’s not a starting NFL quarterback.

OC Arthur Smith

Smith is far down the list of the biggest problems with the Steelers, but Sunday was brutal. A bad play call inside the red zone to run on 4th-and-short that killed a scoring chance. Pittsburgh couldn’t run the ball against one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers completed less than 50 percent of his passes. The offense was awful from top to bottom.

DC Teryl Austin

He is the worst defensive coordinator in football. There is a reason he was fired by both the Lions and didn’t last a season with the Bengals. He’s not a capable defensive coordinator, and the case for that claim gets stronger by the week.

HC Mike Tomlin

This needs to be the end. He can’t be back in 2026. The scheme is stale, the message is falling on deaf ears, and everyone looks checked out. In a season where the AFC North was begging the Steelers to win it, Tomlin missed the dunk.

Fans

The fans are the ones who suffer more than anyone. Mediocre season after mediocre season. Collapse after collapse no matter who is the offensive coordinator or quarterback. And guess what? It’ll probably be more of the same next season because Art Rooney’s fear of life after Mike Tomlin is greater than his desire for a winning football team. The fans deserve better, and hopefully real changes will be made in the offseason.

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• Patrick Queen injured vs. Bills

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• Steelers vs. Bills: Week 13 staff picks