5 things we learned: With loss to Bills, Steelers find themselves at bottom of AFC

5 things we learned from Bills 38, Steelers 3:

1. Bottom of the barrel

No matter what transpires in the “Monday Night Football” game, the Steelers will enter Week 6 with the worst record in the AFC. It’s just a matter of whether they will be the sole 1-4 team in the conference or if the Las Vegas Raiders join them at the bottom. Heck, even the Houston Texans have a 1-3-1 record.

Counting the entire NFL, the Steelers can be found with the likes of the Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers, who just fired their coach Monday.

With that MNF game remaining in the week, the Steelers also can be found near the bottom of several offensive and defense categories. The offense that produced three points against the Bills is No. 30 in scoring with an average of 15.4 points per game. That’s a dropoff of nearly five points per game from 2021 when the Steelers averaged 20.2 in Matt Canada’s first season as offensive coordinator.

The Steelers are also No. 27 in yards, tied for last with 4.8 yards per play and rank No. 29 in rushing. The once-proud defense is ranked No. 30 in yards and tied for No. 30 in passing. The team that led the NFL in each of the past five seasons in sacks is tied for No. 18 with 10 — three coming in the past four games.

2. Buffalo blues

Two years earlier, Diontae Johnson was benched in the Steelers’ game at Buffalo after his issue with dropped passes resurfaced. That deficiency returned as Johnson couldn’t handle a pass that zipped through his fingertips and nearly was intercepted.

For the second game in a row, Johnson also couldn’t get both feet in bounds, wiping out a long reception at a crucial point of the game. Against the New York Jets, Johnson’s apparent touchdown in the back of the end zone was overturned when it was determined that his back foot was on the white line. Instead of a 23-yard touchdown, the Steelers had to settle for a Chris Boswell field goal.

Johnson couldn’t get the second foot in bounds in the first quarter Sunday. A completion would have given the Steelers a first down at the Bills 3 and a chance to tie the score at 7. Instead, Boswell kicked a field goal and the Steelers never got closer than 7-3. The scenario repeated in the second quarter when Johnson couldn’t get his feet in bounds on a pass to the end zone. This time, Boswell missed a 33-yard attempt.

3. Safety measures

Tre Norwood’s experience as a special teams contributor came in handy when he made the tackle on the opening kickoff that pinned the Bills at their 2.

His inexperience in the secondary came into play three plays later as the second-year safety took a bad angle on the deep pass to Gabe Davis that resulted in a 98-yard touchdown. Cornerback Levi Wallace was in coverage and Norwood tried to provide help, but it came too late. As good as his skills around the ball can be, Norwood doesn’t have the speed to catch up to faster receivers.

With Terrell Edmunds missing the game because of a concussion, the Steelers had to turn to Norwood, who was the only player on defense to play all 56 snaps. That the former seventh-round pick played so many snaps was a snapshot of how short-handed the Steelers were in the secondary.

More on the Steelers loss to the Bills:

• Bills throttle Steelers in Kenny Pickett's 1st start
• Steelers' 38-3 loss to Bills marks most lopsided defeat in Mike Tomlin era, worst since 1989
• Kenny Pickett shows fight in losing 1st start with Steelers
• Steelers lose 4 starters to injury during blowout loss to Bills
• Steelers unhappy no penalty was called on Damar Hamlin hit to QB Kenny Pickett

4. Zeal for Leal

Rookie third-round pick DeMarvin Leal’s playing time continues to gradually increase. He was on the field for 41% of the defensive snaps against the Bills. He’ll continue to be a presence on the defensive line if he keeps deflecting passes like he did against Josh Allen.

Leal batted down a pair of passes, one on the first drive of the game and the other in the second quarter.

At the start of the season, Leal had surpassed second-year defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk on the depth chart. Given the way Leal is progressing, Loudermilk might not see the field anytime soon as he has been a healthy scratch for five consecutive games. It may take an injury to a fellow defensive lineman to get Loudermilk a helmet on game day.

5. Next tight end up

When Pat Freiermuth suffered a concussion with 3:35 left in the third quarter, it provided an opportunity for rookie Connor Heyward to get increased snaps on offense.

Heyward played 10 snaps the rest of the way and received his first two career targets. He caught both, for gains of 7 and 5 yards on the Steelers’ final possession.

Heyward became the latest rookie to be involved in the offensive gameplan, following George Pickens, Jaylen Warren and Kenny Pickett. All that is left is for rookie receiver Calvin Austin to get on the field once he is activated from injured reserve. On defense, inside linebacker Mark Robinson is waiting to get his first helmet on game day.