Second-half surge leads Steelers to season-opening upset at Buffalo

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – After a first half spent perpetually swimming upstream, the Pittsburgh Steelers roared back in the second Sunday with the ferocity of water churning over nearby Niagara Falls.

Down by 10 and shut out at intermission, the Steelers scored 20 unanswered points and upset the Buffalo Bills, 23-16, in the season opener at Highmark Stadium.

Two touchdowns within a five-play span in the fourth quarter turned the tide in the Steelers’ direction, quieted a sellout crowd of nearly 70,000 and led to a raucous celebration in the visiting locker room after the Steelers stunned the Bills, considered a preseason favorite to reach the Super Bowl.

“Guys understand what just happened,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “We played a really good football team. They returned a lot of players. They were really good last year. It wasn’t looking pretty early, but we persevered, we fought through it and found a way to win.

“Yeah, guys were excited.”

Buoyed by a fourth-down stop courtesy of cornerback Cam Sutton, the Steelers took their first lead, 13-10, with 11 minutes, 19 seconds to play when Diontae Johnson caught a tipped pass for a 5-yard touchdown.

After a sack forced fourth down deep in Buffalo territory, Miles Killebrew blocked the punt, and Ulysees Gilbert returned it 9 yards for a touchdown that provided a 10-point margin for the Steelers with 9:45 to go.

The Bills, who had beaten the Steelers in each of the previous two seasons, never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.

“This game, especially when you’re on the road, is all about momentum,” said outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who had two sacks and five quarterback hits just days after signing his $112 million contract extension.

“When you’re playing with momentum and going with the ebbs and flows of football, we did a really good job of feeding off each other.”

It’s trite to say all three phases were instrumental in the victory, but it would be an accurate assessment.

• After a first half in which the Steelers had three first downs and 54 total yards, Roethlisberger led the offense to points on all four meaningful second-half possessions.

•The defense first took the field following a 75-yard kickoff return and limited the Bills to a field goal. After giving up a touchdown at the end of the first half, the Steelers didn’t yield another to star quarterback Josh Allen. The Steelers held the Bills 15 points below their 31.3 average from last season.

• Killebrew’s blocked punt was the pivotal special teams play. Not to be overlooked, Chris Boswell kicked three field goals, and rookie punter Pressley Harvin III overcame a 30-yard shank to average 41.2 yards on five attempts, with two tries dropped inside the 20.

“I wouldn’t say it was a dominant performance because there was still a lot left on the table, and I’m sure there is going to be a lot of film to watch and corrections to make,” Watt said. “But I’m very happy with where we are, especially for week one.”

Matt Canada’s debut as offensive coordinator didn’t go swimmingly, not in the first half at least. The Steelers ran just 22 plays, possessed the ball for 12 minutes, had one third-down conversion in six tries and trailed 10-0.

That mandate to run the ball more effectively resulted in seven rushing yards after 30 minutes. First-round pick Najee Harris had eight yards on seven carries. He finished with 45 on 16 attempts.

The offense slowly found its rhythm after receiving the ball to open the third quarter. Roethlisberger directed a 10-play drive that resulted in Boswell’s 24-yard field goal.

After forcing a turnover on downs, the Steelers reeled off 11 more plays, with Boswell converting from 20 yards to make it 10-6 with 1:47 left in the third. Pat Freiermuth caught a 24-yard pass across the middle, and he threw a block that helped spring Chase Claypool for a 25-yard gain on an end around.

“It felt like our offense stayed on the field a little more and gave our defense a break,” Roethlisberger said. “That’s big for them to take a break.”

The defense aided its cause by forcing another turnover on downs. On fourth-and-1 at the Steelers 43, Allen took the snap and stood up like he going to keep the ball. Instead, he turned and pitched to Matt Breida. Sutton met Breida immediately for a 7-yard loss.

“It’s something we anticipated,” Tomlin said.

A pass interference call against Bills cornerback Levi Wallace set up a 15-yard run by Harris to the Buffalo 5. On the next play, Roethlisberger threw a fade to the left corner. Wallace tipped the ball in the air. Johnson grapped it and kept both feet in bounds for the score and 13-10 lead.

Cam Heyward’s sack on third down short-circuited Buffalo’s next drive, and Killebrew broke through the middle to block Matt Haack’s punt. Gilbert scooped it and scored to hike the advantage to 10 points.

The teams alternated field goals before JuJu Smith-Schuster fielded the onside kick attempt with 46 seconds left to enable the Steelers to run out the clock on an improbable victory.

“Hopefully it’s a sign of what we are capable of from a will standpoint,” Tomlin said. “Obviously, one weekend isn’t going to write your story. It’s just good to come into this environment against an AFC giant, if you will, the defending AFC East champions, and get a win for it.”