5 things we learned from Steelers' loss to Bills in home finale

Five things we learned from Bills 17, Steelers 10:

1. Defensive dilemma

A defense that was so proficient at preventing big plays since a 1-4 start allowed a costly one in the fourth quarter when Josh Allen threw a 40-yard completion to John Brown on the first play of a drive that began at the Buffalo 30 with 10 minutes, 3 seconds remaining.

It was the longest play allowed by the defense and the only one for the Bills that exceeded 20 yards.

The Steelers also were hurt by an inability to make stops at crucial junctures. The Bills converted six times on third downs and once on a fourth-and-6, the latter coming on their lone scoring drive of the first half.

The Bills faced a third-and-18 at the Steelers 40 when Allen scrambled for 12 yards. Coach Sean McDermott eschewed the long field-goal try, and Allen responded with a 10-yard completion that moved the chains.

On the go-ahead touchdown drive for the Bills in the fourth quarter, Devin Singletary gained 15 yards on a second-and-10, and Allen threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Kroft on a third-and-9.

2. Brotherly love

Tremaine Edmunds, the youngest of the three brothers, got the bragging rights in the historic matchup that featured three brothers playing in the same game for the first time since 1927.

Edmunds was a major contributor for the Bills, leading the team with eight tackles, including six solo. He had a tackle for loss and pass defensed.

Terrell led the Steelers with 11 tackles, including 10 solo, but he was beaten for the go-ahead touchdown in the right side of the end zone when Kroft got a step in front of the strong safety.

The third member of the Edmunds family, Trey, played on special teams for the Steelers. With a full complement of healthy running backs, Edmunds was a candidate for the inactive list. But he got a helmet when the Steelers decided to use just four defensive linemen.

3. Room to run

The Bills came into the game wanting to establish the run and did precisely that by gaining 130 yards on 38 attempts.

Singletary had a game-high 87 yards on 21 attempts, and Allen added 28 yards on seven carries. It was the most rushing yards surrendered by the Steelers defense since they permitted 139 on Nov. 3 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Although the Bills averaged 3.4 yards per carry, their ability to keep the clock moving enabled them to possess the ball for more than 32 minutes. And the Bills got 10 of their 17 first downs on running plays, the second most allowed by the Steelers this season.

4. Change of philosophy

So reliant on the run while winning seven of their previous eight games, the Steelers had just 15 attempts — compared to 38 passes — against the Bills, their fewest carries since they opened the season with 13 in a 33-3 loss at New England.

The Steelers matched the Bills’ average of 3.4 yards per carry but totaled just 51 yards.

Returning from a three-game absence, James Conner was the primary runner and had eight carries for 42 yards, and his 11-yard reception represented the Steelers’ only touchdown.

Cognizant of Conner’s shoulder injury, offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner spread out the remaining carries, with Kerrith Whyte, Benny Snell and Jaylen Samuels getting two carries apiece. Quarterback Devlin Hodges ran once on a quarterback sneak for 4 yards.

The Steelers totaled 9 yards on the seven attempts by runners other than Conner.

5. Untimely shank

Jordan Berry didn’t try to run out of punt formation one week after a botched fake attempt nearly cost the Steelers a win at Arizona.

He needed one leg, not two, to hurt the Steelers’ cause against the Bills.

Berry’s first punt soared high in the air but came down just 22 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, giving the Bills a first down at the Steelers 40. The Bills scored nine players later on Allen’s 1-yard run for a 7-0 lead.

Berry also had a 39-yard punt that went out of bounds in the third quarter. Still, he had a net 40.6-yard average on five attempts. He had 43-yard and 53-yard punts that resulted in a fair catch on his final two tries.

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