Steelers face Bills in showdown of AFC division leaders

Updated Dec. 10, 2020 2:27 p.m. ET

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (11-1) at BUFFALO (9-3)

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC

OPENING LINE - Steelers by 2 1/2

RECORD VS. SPREAD - Steelers 8-4; Bills 7-5

SERIES RECORD - Steelers lead 16-10

LAST MEETING - Bills beat Steelers 17-10 on Dec. 15, 2019 at Pittsburgh

LAST WEEK - Steelers lost to Washington, 23-17; Bills beat 49ers, 34-24

AP PRO32 RANKING - Steelers No. 3, Bills No. 5

STEELERS OFFENSE - OVERALL (21), RUSH (29), PASS (14).

STEELERS DEFENSE - OVERALL (3), RUSH (6), PASS (2).

BILLS OFFENSE - OVERALL (10), RUSH (23), PASS (3).

BILLS DEFENSE - OVERALL (21), RUSH (24), PASS (20).

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin and Buffalo’s Sean McDermott’s college careers overlapped at William & Mary in the 1990s, and face each other as NFL head coaches for the second time. ... The Steelers can clinch their first AFC North title since 2017 with a win and Cleveland losing. They can also clinch their first playoff berth in three years with a combination of a win or a Tennessee loss, a Las Vegas loss or tie or a Miami loss or tie. ... Due to COVID-19 rescheduling issues, the Steelers are closing a stretch of playing three games in 12 days, which began with 19-14 win over Baltimore on Dec. 2. ... Pittsburgh is 29-24 on Sunday nights, and 1-4 in its past five after ending a nine-game winning streak. ... The Steelers were the NFL’s 12th team to win their first 11 games. ... QB Ben Roethlisberger leads the NFL with 324 completions and 484 attempts, and is fifth with 27 TDs passing, seven shy of matching the single-season team record he set in 2018. ... RB James Conner is expected to play after missing the past two games on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Minus Connor, the Steelers managed just 21 yards on 14 carries, the franchise’s lowest single-game rushing total since 1970. ... With a league-leading 44 sacks, Pittsburgh has at least two in each game this season. The Steelers also have a sack in 69 consecutive games, dating to Week 9 of the 2016 season, in matching the NFL’s longest streak set by Tampa Bay (1999-2003). ... LB T.J. Watt leads the league with 12 sacks and is one shy of becoming just the sixth player with 13 or more in three straight seasons. ... The Bills' win at Pittsburgh last year clinched their second playoff berth in three years. ... The AFC East-leading Bills can clinch their third postseason berth in four years with a win and several losses by other contenders. ... Buffalo has won at least nine of its first 12 games of the season in consecutive years for the first time since a three-year stretch spanning 1990-92, and hasn’t been 10-3 or better since 1991 (11-2). ... QB Josh Allen earned his third AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors — the most by a Bills player in one season — after going 32 of 40 for 375 yards and four touchdowns against San Francisco. .... Allen joined Drew Brees (2013) in becoming the NFL’s second player since at least 1950 to have three games with at least 375 yards passing, three or more touchdowns and a passer rating of 130 or better. ... Allen’s 3,403 yards passing already rank eighth on Buffalo’s single-season list. ... With 33 total TDs (26 passing, six rushing and one receiving), Allen is one short of matching Jim Kelly’s record set in 1991. ... WR Stefon Diggs is tied with Chargers’ Keenan Allen for the league lead with 90 catches — 10 short of matching Buffalo’s single-season record set by Eric Moulds in 2002. Diggs' 1,037 yards receiving rank fifth in the league. ... With two interceptions against the 49ers, Buffalo has forced 12 takeaways (eight interceptions) in its past six outings. ... CB Tre’Davious White’s fourth-quarter interception last week was his 16th second-half career takeaway. ... Fantasy tip: With White expected to shadow WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, rookie Chase Claypool could draw Levi Wallace, who struggled in allowing 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk to make five catches for 95 yards and a touchdown.

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