Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers Week 1 : Black and Yellow will be Black and Blue
Mike D: Overdue Bills Senior Writer
I’m not sure about you, but it feels as if a lifetime has passed since the last time the Bills played a “real” game. Granted, losing in the fashion that they did, in the AFC Championship, vs a young Patrick Mahomes, will leave a bad taste in your mouth. Even with that being the last time we saw the Bills, I won’t let the past ruin the present moment. And I must say, I haven’t been as excited for a home opener since…NEVER. But if you ever saw/heard me on the "Overdue Bills Podcast", "We Think It’s a Sports Show" or any of my Facebook posts, you know I don’t get too involved in feelings. But at the end of the day, I am human and I won’t deny that. It’s plenty of time to break down Josh Allen’s QBR, and other analytics. For this article, I want to discuss what a victory this upcoming Sunday versus the Pittsburg Steelers would win mean for Josh, the front office, ownership, and most importantly #BillsMafia.
Everything starts and stops with #17, so how can I not begin with him. Hopefully, by now we are all familiar with the fact he signed a huge contract extension this off-season (6-year 258M to be exact). Which was a surprise to a lot, including me. I was not the biggest fan of his entering the draft, and didn’t give him much if any, leeway to improve. Last year he proved a lot of doubters wrong by taking his team to the AFC championship. Even with that, people still aren’t sold, and they are expecting regression. A resounding win will silence the “haters”(for a week), boost confidence in him, the team around him, and the coaching staff.
Even though everything starts and stops with Josh, it actually started with the hire of Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane. They came into a situation that I thought was decent and tore it down. That took guts like no other. Well, they received a return on investment in year one when they made the playoffs. But let’s be honest, they were a playoff team without playoff talent. Hell, they thought Picky Pete was the answer at QB. Therefore, everyone thought we were just lucky. And for a year, that seemed accurate. They drafted a QB with a lot of questions coming out of college and named Picky Pete starter week 1. Bills ended up 6-10, and right back where we always been, NOWHERE. Fast forward, we have won 10+ games the last 2 years, and back-to-back playoff appearances. Another dominating win over the Steelers and Mike Tomlin will inevitably push McDermott up the coaching hierarchy.
Austin, TX huh? I haven’t forgotten about it. But a win on Sunday will give me a little amnesia. If there are two people who can’t wait for the Home Opener, it’s Terry and Kim Pegula. This off-season wasn’t the best for them. The Sabres were an absolute mess, Buffalo Bills were synonymous with Covid, and the threat to move the team to Austin was messy. All of that can be washed away by having their team, along with the front office they picked, with the QB they paid, dominate Sunday. As the great Tiger Woods said, “Winning takes care of everything.”
Imagine this: It is 1:00 PM September 12th, 2021, you are finally in your seat (after going through tables all morning tailgating), surrounded by loves ones, and Tyler Bass’s kickoff went out of the end zone. The crowd of 71,870 people is deafening. Fast forward to 4:15 PM and the Bills just defeated the Steelers 31-13 on opening day. The cheers of “Hey Hey Hey Hey” are rampant on the way to the parking lot. Your hand is practically broken from aggressive high-5s and fist bumps. The feeling of community is overwhelming, and you get emotional thinking about a loved one or two that you wish was experiencing this moment. In my opinion, we deserve this feeling more than any other fanbase.
The opener is essentially a holiday for Buffalo. If you’re a tailgater, you lay your outfit out the night before (Get your Overdue Bills Drip now!). Your alarm is set for 6 am, so you can start tailgating by 7 am. But who are we kidding, you don’t need an alarm. You’re already up thinking about the super bowl. Kids are playing catch claiming to be their favorite players; “I’m Diggs, I’m Beasley, I’m Josh Allen, No I'm Josh Allen”. The elders of your family are telling you that this is exactly how the ’90s were. Everyone is present and happy. I’m aware that I put emphasis on them winning in this article. In actuality, I couldn’t care less if they win or lose. Buffalo will be a playoff team, and they will go deep into the playoffs. I’ll start caring about wins in week 2. Until then, give me a bucket of hot wings, a cold beer, and let me enjoy watching my team. ✌🏽
I’m going on a much-needed vacation, so I will talk to everyone in week 3!
Millz and Rad talked with Styker from SteelerNation.com Podcast to preview this week's matchup. He gave us some valuable insight on the Buffalo Bills’ opponent.