The defense dominated.
James cooked.
But according to Head Coach Sean McDermott, it was a play made by the Steelers that helped spark the Buffalo Bills’ Week 13 win over Pittsburgh.
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Nov 30, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
With 3 minutes 7 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Josh Allen scrambled right on a second-and-3 play from inside Steelers’ territory, heading for the sideline to escape a host of Pittsburgh tacklers. But as he slid toward the sideline to avoid contact, linebacker Patrick Queen came diving in like a scud missile, delivering a late hit on the Bills quarterback that was not flagged.
After Queen contacted Allen as he hit the turf, the Bills’ sideline erupted, coming to the defense of their captain. It was a moment that McDermott credited with helping his team further the momentum it had built up to that point in the game.
“It definitely caused a stir on our sideline,” said McDermott. “That was nose to nose, nobody backing down. They weren’t backing down, we weren’t backing down. We came to play. So, you hit our quarterback like that, there’s gonna be — you’re gonna spark our team a little bit.”
MORE: Refs ignore blatant late hit on Josh Allen in chippy Bills-Steelers showdown
Nov 30, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) scrambles as Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen (6) defends during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Bills were trailing 7-0 at the time of the late hit delivered by Queen, and from that point forward, Buffalo went on to complete that drive with a 27-yard field goal to trim the deficit to four heading into halftime. From that point forward, it was all Bills, as they shut the Steelers out in the second half while scoring 23 points of their own over the final two quarters to seal the win.
From the start of Sunday’s game, it appeared as if the Steelers were intent on “out-physicaling” the Bills. But instead, they made a number of poor decisions that cost them in one way or another.
The result? A 6-6 record and a fall out of first place in the AFC North.
Well-played, Pittsburgh.
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