BRENNAN: Blitzburgh notifies closure of Allen, Bills

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One of the loudest noises in Week 1 of the NFL season was made at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo.

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It was a statement, not fireworks or an ordinary plane in flight on opening days.

It came from the visitors.

Said Blitzburgh is back, darling.

No, it’s not that the Steelers defense has gone anywhere.

Last season, while leading the NFL in sacks with 56, only the Baltimore Ravens (17.3) and the Angles Rams (17.4) yielded fewer points than Pittsburgh (18.9), and only the Rams (281.9) and Washington (304.6) yielded fewer. . yards per game than the Steelers (305.8).

But what they did, where they did it and against whom was very impressive on Sunday.

And all he was saying is that the Steelers not only have a good shot at winning their 11th division title in 20 years, but they can be legitimate Super Bowl contenders as well.

Defense wins championships, right?

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The Steelers beat the Buffalo Bills on their own turf, where the only team to get the best of them in 2020 was the Kansas City Chiefs.

They won them in front of a packed and bustling stadium that included the Bills Mafia, who have expectations that this will finally be their team’s year, and with good reason.

And they beat them by making MVP candidate Josh Allen look very average.

Allen completed 30 passes, but he also threw 21 incomplete passes on one of the most erratic days of his young career.

He didn’t throw any interceptions, but he had only one touchdown pass and an average of 5.3 yards per completion.

Only once last season, against the Chiefs on Nov. 19, was he less successful at hitting his receivers.

The Steelers defense had to be great, because the offense wasn’t hell.

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Big Ben Roethlisberger was good at 18 of 32 for 188 yards and a touchdown.

Highly touted rookie running back Najee Harris struggled to find space, carrying the ball 16 times for 45 yards, including a run for 18.

But the ‘D’ kept the Steelers in the game.

They came back to win a season opener that they had lost by 10 more points for the first time in franchise history, having gone 0-14 in such situations to start the day.

They allowed just six points in the second half on a pair of field goals from Tyler Bass in the fourth quarter.

This was no small feat.

The Bills had the second-most points per game (behind Green Bay) and the second-most yards per game (behind Kansas City) in the league last season.

And with the addition of veteran catcher Emmanuel Sanders, they should be even better.

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But with tackle Stephon Tuitt on IR, veteran teammates Tyson Alualu and Cam Heyward generated pressure up front, with the latter providing a six-yard sack on the play before Miles Killebrew blocked a punt that Ulysees Gilbert III led into the zone. score for the game. highest touchdown in fourth quarter.

And TJ Watt was his dominant self again with two sacks, a forced fumble and five rushing QBs, while former No. 10 overall pick Devin Bush showed he made a full recovery from the knee injury that ended his season after five games in 2020 by making 10 tackles.

Beating the Bills is nothing new for the Steelers, who have emerged with the ‘W’ 11 of the last 14 times the teams have met.

Nor does it win. The Steelers haven’t had a season below .500 since 2003.

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But in an AFC North that is considered the strongest division in soccer, Pittsburgh’s location is a question mark, considering the faith it is placing in a 39-year-old quarterback who appeared to be in his last stages in 2020. .

And on the road against a powerful opponent,the defense notified that the Steelers will be a force.

It showed everyone that Blitzburgh is back, bigger and possibly better than ever.

BLACK AND BLUE: The Washington Football Team took a hit when QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s day ended early in the second quarter of what turned into a 20-16 loss to the Chargers. While Fitzpatrick will undergo an MRI on Monday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that he is believed to have suffered a hip subluxation and is expected to be missed for several weeks. Backup Taylor Heinicke took over and completed 11 of 15 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Could this be the turn of events that reunites coach Ron Rivera with his former quarterback, Cam Newton? … Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy was taken off the field in the second half of a 27-13 win over the Giants with a sprained ankle on top … After turning highly touted RB Trey Sermon into a healthy idle , the Niners lost veteran RB Raheem Mostert to a new injury.

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BETWEEN THE SIDE LINES: After missing all but three games last season with multiple injuries, Panthers running back Christian McCaffery had 21 carries for 98 yards and nine receptions for 89 yards. McCaffrey now has seven games with 75 yards rushing and 75 receiving yards in his career. That puts him ahead of Walter Payton for the third time since 1970, behind Marshall Faulk and Priest Holmes …

DeVonta Smith became the Eagles’ second WR with five catches in the first game of his career since 2000. The other is DeSean Jackson, who had six.

EXTRA POINTS: Three of Russell Wilson’s four touchdown passes came in the second half, including a 69-yard bomb to Tyler Lockett, as the Seahawks ruined Carson Wentz’s debut with the Colts. Wentz had a decent day, completing 25 of 38 for 251 yards and two touchdowns … A season-ending injury to CB Jason Verrett has sparked talks about a reunion between the 49ers and Richard Sherman, the free agent of 33 years. who spent the last three seasons in San Fran.

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