Mike Tomlin reveals keys for Steelers ahead of opener vs. Bills

The Pittsburgh Steelers kick off their 2021 season with a daunting road trip to Buffalo to face the Bills. 

Pittsburgh is currently a 6.5-point underdog and will need to play stout defense against Bills quarterback Josh Allen and company if they want to have a chance to start 1-0. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin joined Bob Pompeani of Pittsburgh’s CBS affiliate to discuss his team’s keys to the game. 

“You know I think we gotta be really good in those weighty moments, particularly early on to minimize the environmental element of the game,” Tomlin said. “We gotta be good on possession downs, those weighty plays. We gotta minimize the crowd’s impact on the game and not energize that group. I think that’s a significant component of it.”

After starting last season 11-0, the Steelers lost four of their last five regular season games, three of which were on the road at Buffalo, Cincinnati and Cleveland.

Buffalo was a big-play team last season. Allen averaged 7.9 yards per play last year, fifth in the NFL. Pittsburgh will look to minimize those chunk pass plays from him Sunday.

“I also think the most significant component of it is ball searching and ball security,” Tomlin added. “The last couple times we played these games the turnover game has been significant in terms of determining the outcome. In 2019, I think we threw four interceptions in a 17-10 loss against those guys. Last year, you gotta acknowledge that the pick-six prior to half was a significant play of the game in terms of changing the trajectory of the game. The turnover battle is going to be significant.”

Last year’s game ended 26-15 with Buffalo on top. The 2019 loss in which Tomlin referenced had Devlin Hodges at quarterback. He had a final stat line of 23-for-38 for 202 yards, a touchdown and the four interceptions previously mentioned. The Steelers had just 51 yards on the ground.

Last season the Steelers did well in the turnover battle. In total, they had a +9 turnover margin, tied for third in the NFL. They were in a three-way tie for the most interceptions in the pros with 18. 

The Steelers defense will be led by T.J. Watt, who just signed a new four-year contract with Pittsburgh making him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.

The game between two teams that hope to have deep playoff runs kicks off at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.