ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Leading into this once-unfathomable spot in the postseason, the Steelers' defense held through tough losses of personnel.
From Cam Heyward's groin injury in Week 1 to T.J. Watt's knee injury in Week 18 and through the many bumps and bruises associated in the play between those weeks, this defense found ways to win games.
They did that, until this 31-17 loss to the Bills Monday at Highmark Stadium, ending their season.
"It's frustrating because I knew we had a lot of ball left in us," Minkah Fitzpatrick said. "We were trending in the right direction for a long time. Me, personally, I haven't played a lot this season and I feel like I had a lot of ball left in me. Obviously it's frustrating. Just got to take this one in the shin and learn from it and hit this offseason with a full head of steam."
Let Josh Allen's 52-yard touchdown run from the second quarter set the tone for this writing, just as it did for his Bills:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) January 16, 2024
Six Steelers applied pressure. Allen wasn't met by anybody until he was already 10 yards upfield. He did his best Kenny Pickett-like impression of a "fake slide" upon seeing Damontae Kazee and subsequently broke through that tackling attempt. He ran by Levi Wallace and, perhaps symbolically, Fitzpatrick before finding 29 yards and the end zone ahead of him.
With 7:01 remaining in the second quarter, the scoreboard read 21-0, Bills. It might as well have been 1,000-0. Elandon Roberts knows what the Bills are capable of when Allen's at the top of his game:
"That's what makes him the type of quarterback he is," Roberts said of Allen. "He's a fearless QB back there. He can run it, he can make the throws that you're like, 'oh, man, how did he make it?' and whatnot. Like I said, Buffalo, obviously, the whole NFL knows what type of quarterback Josh Allen is and stuff like that. It's nothing but respect from me to him and like I said them as a team, they came in today and they executed."
Don't let Allen's 21 completions on 30 attempts, his three passing touchdowns, his 9.3 yards per carry or the Bills' 179 rushing yards jump off of the boxscore too harshly. His dominance was made possible, ultimately, because of the broken-down personnel Teryl Austin was down to.
Watt (knee) missed this game. Cole Holcomb (knee) and Kwon Alexander (knee) have been out for some time. So has Keanu Neal (rib). Heyward has been banged up with two groin injuries. Roberts (groin, pectoral) has played hurt in recent weeks. Fitzpatrick (knee) and Kazee (suspension) had just returned from three-game absences to close the season.
During the three-week charge the Steelers made into the postseason, this defense was served tremendously by players who were plucked off of other teams' practice squads or off of their retirement plans altogether. That includes Myles Jack, who took on the challenge of getting back into football shape after taking time to purchase a minor-league hockey team and begin training for his pilot's license during his brief retirement.
The Bills knew this.
Jack was on the wrong end of three major plays that directly influenced the outcome of the game. First, he was burned badly by Dalton Kincaid on this 29-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) January 16, 2024
Then, he committed a five-yard holding penalty on Kincaid on a ball that was thrown a mile out of bounds.
That set the table for this late hit on a sliding Allen which resulted in a 15-yard penalty to take the Bills to the Steelers' 18-yard line midway through the fourth quarter:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) January 16, 2024
Jack was given the explanation that the flag came in because Allen was established as a runner:
"It's damn near impossible because it's like throwing a punch and then not catching it as you land -- I don't know how to explain it, man," Jack said. "It's like, once you commit to something there's no way you can pull yourself back out of it. I tried to do the best I could."
With Watt down, the Steelers needed splash from elsewhere. It was not there as the defense could not force a takeaway.
That includes from Fitzpatrick, who looked much like a player coming back from a three-week knee injury, as he was. Scroll back up to the Allen touchdown run and note Fitzpatrick's pathway on it. Then, come back down here and watch this tackling attempt on Khalil Shakir's 17-yard touchdown with 6:27 to play:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) January 16, 2024
When the Steelers needed him the most, Fitzpatrick was nearly invisible, sans one tackle made in the backfield. He led the team in tackles but when a safety leads the team in tackles, that typically isn't a good thing.
"Just got to make the tackles," Fitzpatrick said. "Can't attribute it to anything. It's playing football. Got to be great tacklers."
No team spent more money on its defense in 2023 than the Steelers. The front office dedicated 43.2% of the adjusted salary cap to that side of the ball.
The 2023 defense was different from a health standpoint, though. It finally caught up to them in this loss.
I think, one, we've got to be healthy," Heyward said. "Not having T.J., you know, a lot of guys banged up the season, but we have a core that's very strong that can make some noise in the playoffs. And I just think there's more football to be had for that group, our group. ... . New team, new problem (in 2024). We've got to adjust. We'll see where we are in OTAs and Latrobe. But the group that's here are more than capable, but it's about the growth that has to take place in the offseason. And you'd love for younger guys to keep ascending and guys who are like T.J. that should be winning Defensive Player of the Year to keep standing on the mountain top."