Steeler-Bills preview: Bills provide test for Steelers starters; Damar Hamlin returns to Pittsburgh
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If there was a “yeah, but …” to be had from the Steelers’ 27-17 preseason-opening win in Tampa Bay last week, it was that their solid all-around performance came against primarily the Buccaneers’ reserves (particularly on defense).
That won’t be the case this week against the Buffalo Bills. Head coach Sean McDermott says his team will start most of his first-team players Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. That includes quarterback Josh Allen. The Buffalo starters are expected to see action beyond the first quarter.
“Simply put, it’s to get them ready for the season,” McDermott said via the Bills website.
Mike Tomlin has also announced plans for the Steelers starters to see game action. And based on what Bills sideline reporter and WGR Radio host Sal Capaccio said during Thursday’s Bella Construction “Breakfast With Benz” podcast, fans in both Buffalo and Pittsburgh will likely be watching the game the same way.
“I understand why (McDermott) is doing it,” Capaccio said. “But for Bills fans, they’re just going to watch it like a horror movie — putting their hands in front of their face and looking between their fingers and saying, ‘Please don’t get hurt. Please don’t get hurt. Don’t let anything happen to any of these players.’”
For good reason. Folks in Western New York are getting antsy for a Super Bowl trip.
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The Bills are favored to win the AFC East in 2023. They have done so each of the past three seasons. But McDermott’s team has lost in the divisional round each of the last two seasons after getting to the AFC Championship in the 2020 postseason. The franchise’s top rivals in the AFC the past few seasons — the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals — have both won a conference crown, while the Bills have come close but not yet advanced out of the AFC playoff bracket.
“The Bills are very tight against the (salary) cap because they’re paying a lot of these veteran star players,” Capaccio explained. “Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Stefon Diggs, Von Miller. There are just guys on this particular roster that they are not going to have around very much (longer). So the window is closing on this group of players together. But it’s not closing on the Bills as an organization.”
The biggest reason for that, according to Capaccio, is Josh Allen.
“As long as they have No. 17, they’re gonna have a chance to win championships,” Capaccio continued. “You guys saw that in Pittsburgh. As much as things might have changed around Ben Roethlisberger, as long as you had Ben Roethlisberger, you always had a chance to be in the conversation to win a division, a conference, a Super Bowl.”
Another storyline to this game is Damar Hamlin’s return to Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Central Catholic alum and former Pitt Panther went into cardiac arrest on the field during a game against the Bengals in January. But he has made a full recovery and is back to playing again for Buffalo, having suited up in the club’s preseason opener against the Colts last week.
Who else? Bills safety Damar Hamlin and co make a fourth down stop on the Colts offense. pic.twitter.com/AXVGZtvFLt
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) August 12, 2023
“There’s always been a different benchmark along the way for Damar. Whether it was just conditioning, then OTAs and minicamp. Last week, (it was) a live opponent. This is another one. Going back in front of the hometown fans, friends and family,” Capaccio said. “He’s looked good. It’s a remarkable story anyway, but just the fact that he gets to play back in Pittsburgh, I think, is really cool.”
Also, in the podcast, Capaccio discusses some of Diggs’ offseason drama. We get into the other AFC East contenders who may have improved this offseason. And we look at the long friendship between Mike Tomlin and Sean McDermott.