With JuJu Smith-Schuster and Vance McDonald in street clothes, the Steelers take on the Buffalo Bills with five running backs dressed for Sunday night football at Heinz Field.
James Conner is active after entering the game questionable, but it makes one wonder just what his availability will be given that Benny Snell, Jaylen Samuels, Kerrith Whyte and Trey Edmunds are in uniform, too.
Snell has been the leading rusher the past three weeks, Samuels is the best pass-catching back, Whyte has the most speed and Edmunds plays special teams, in addition to getting to compete with brother Terrell, starting strong safety for the Steelers, and against youngest brother Tremaine, a starting linebacker for the Bills. It will be the first time since 1927 that three brothers play in the same NFL game.
Conner will play for the first time since re-aggravating his shoulder injury Week 11 at Cleveland. Before that, he had been out since Week 8 against Miami.
Inactive for the Steelers in addition to Smith-Schuster and McDonald are quarterback Paxton Lynch, offensive lineman Chuks Okorafor, defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs, outside linebacker Tuzar Skipper and cornerback Artie Burns. Buggs had been active for the past seven games, but the Steelers will face the run-heavy Bills with one fewer body up front.
With McDonald inactive after leaving last week’s game with a concussion, Nick Vannett will serve as the starting tight end and rookie fifth-round draft pick Zach Gentry will get a helmet for the first time since Week 6 at the Los Angeles Chargers. Gentry played just one snap in that game and has yet to draw an NFL target, let alone record a catch.
Inactive for the Bills are running back T.J. Yeldon, wide receiver Duke Williams, tight end Tommy Sweeney, guard Ike Boettger, tackle Ty Nsekhe, defensive lineman Corey Liuget and safety Dean Marlowe.
Hillgrove on IR, with designation to return
Steelers play-by-play man Bill Hillgrove called his final game of the regular season. He's having back surgery and won't call the Steelers-Jets game next week or the Steelers-Ravens game in Baltimore in Week 17. Rob King will fill in for Hillgrove, who could return to the booth if the Steelers make the playoffs.
Hillgrove, who also works Pitt football and Pitt men’s basketball games, has been calling the Steelers since 1994. King serves as an anchor on AT&T SportsNet in addition to being an in-game analyst for Pirates and Penguins games. He also has done play-by-play for high school football.
White out, but not for long
Tre’Davious White, Buffalo’s lock-down cornerback, left the game with an injury with 5:08 left in the first quarter. White put a hard hit on receiver Johnny Holton, got up to head back to his spot, but then went down holding his shoulder.
After being checked on by medical personnel, he headed to the Bills sideline under his own power. White came back in on the next Steelers possession, and boy are the Bills glad he stayed out there.
With the Steelers inching across midfield in the final two minutes of the third quarter, White jumped a Devlin Hodges pass intended for Diontae Johnson and returned it 49 yards to set up Buffalo’s second field goal that made it 10-10 with 12:23 left.
First-play penalty
Well, that’s not how the Bills wanted to start. Playing their first night game of the season, the Bills committed a penalty on the very first play, the opening kickoff return by Andre Roberts.
Backup running back Senorise Perry was called for holding, cutting in half a 20-yard return by Roberts and starting the Bills at their own 10-yard line.
One to look up to
During pregame warmups, the Central Valley High School football team got a chance to reunite with one of its famous alumni. Robert Foster, a second-year Bills wide receiver who played in college at Alabama, posed for a photo with the Warriors, holding their “2019 WPIAL Class 3A Champions” banner.
They were invited to the game by the Steelers after beating Aliquippa, 13-12, last month at Heinz Field, not quite nine years after Foster led them to their first WPIAL title as a star sophomore in the same stadium.
The Tribe pride
Speaking of on-field reunions, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and Bills coach Sean McDermott got a chance to meet with their college coach, Jimmye Lacock, before the game. Lacock coached both players at William & Mary, with Tomlin a senior when McDermott was a freshman.
Sack stats
T.J. Watt picked up a half-sack in the first quarter, tying his career high with 13. The Steelers also extended their streak of games with a sack to 55 in a row.
First Published: December 16, 2019, 12:11 a.m.
