Greg Rousseau & Ed Oliver shine in Buffalo Bills preseason win vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

PITTSBURGH, PA — For the first time this season the Buffalo Bills have won a game.

On Saturday, despite not scoring a touchdown, the Bills tallied three field goals and got a dominant day from their defense to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 9-3. Buffalo is now 1-1 in the preseason and has one more game next weekend before the regular season begins.

Greg Rousseau and Ed Oliver continue their dominant summer:

After the last training camp practice in Rochester, I wrote the Bills' most impressive players were defensive end Greg Rousseau and defensive tackle Ed Oliver. They both proved why on Saturday night with absolutely dominant performances.

Rousseau was the best player on the field with 2.5 sacks and an additional tackle. On his first sack, Rousseau completely overpowered Steelers starting right tackle Broderick Jones. He then shed between Jones and running back Najee Harris to bring down Russell Wilson before he could throw it away.

Later in the first quarter, Rousseau and Oliver combined for the Bills' second sack of the day as Oliver exploded through the interior of the Steelers defensive line. At the same time, Rousseau stopped Wilson from escaping the pocket and they combined for a sack. Rousseau added another sack and called it a day after just three series on defense.

After an incredibly impressive summer and a dominant day against the Steelers, there is nothing for Rousseau or Oliver to prove. If it were up to me, they would both have an off day next Saturday when the Carolina Panthers come to town.

LEGENDary performance from Andreessen:

What a night for Lancaster native Joe Andreessen. He was the Bills starting linebacker opposite Dorian Williams and had an exceptional outing. With Terrel Bernard given the night off, Andreessen played almost the entire game and finished with 12 tackles.

He made explosive plays, was strong in the open field, and had impressive command of the defense during a dominant first half. His best play came in the third quarter sniffing out a fake from Justin Fields and forcing a turnover on downs. There were a few missed tackles and hiccups, but it was a solid game for the undrafted linebacker out of UB. While it's a long shot that Andreessen makes the 53-man roster, he made a strong case to be on the Bills practice squad.

Allen's day off:

The Bills changed things up at the last second and gave Josh Allen the night off. Bills head coach Sean McDermott said on Friday the plan for the starters was to play a quarter and a half and that included Allen. But on the Bills' first offensive drive of the night, Mitch Trubisky led the team onto the field. Allen spent the entire game watching from the sideline.

Last season, Allen played in two preseason games so there's a chance we see him one more time next weekend. I don't think he needs to play, but would bet he sees at least a few snaps in the preseason finale.

Ray Davis looks the part:

After a so-so preseason debut, Ray Davis was the Bills' most efficient offensive player against the Steelers. The fourth-round pick carved up the Steelers defense for 58 yards on just eight carries (7.3 yards per carry). On the first possession of the second half, Davis was unstoppable until the Bills took a false start penalty on first and goal. Ty Johnson will play a role on this team, but Davis feels like the heavy favorite to earn the second most reps out of the backfield when the regular season starts.

Daequan Hardy flirts with disaster and makes a big play

Hardy's first two punt returns on Saturday night were forgettable. On his first attempt, he returned the punt six yards but the play was wiped out due to a penalty. On his second punt return, he brought it back 10 yards before being taken down.

Then things got interesting. On Hardy's third punt return, he caught the kick near his goal line instead of choosing to let the kick go into the end zone for a touchback. He tip-toed the goal line and barely avoided a safety by turning upfield and returning it to the 13.

His best return was his fourth attempt as Hardy hit the gap and had the Bills' best special teams play of the preseason. Hardy returned the punt 31 yards and became the front-runner to win the kick return job on that play.

Tyler Bass and Sam Martin have strong games

Tyler Bass made all three of his field goal attempts on Saturday night, although they were 31, 27, and 26-yard attempts. Nevertheless, it's been an inconsistent summer for Bass and he's now five-for-five in actual games.

Martin also had a nice game, averaging 52.8 yards on his five punts. His longest punt of the night was 59 yards and he kicked a 57-yard punt to pin the Steelers deep in their own end for the final possession of the game.

Other notes from Saturday's game:

• Marquez Valdes Scantling was carted off the field in the second quarter with a neck injury and never returned. It was a scary play but a promising sign that MVS was never officially ruled out of the game.
• Trubisky left the game late in the first half with a knee injury. Trubisky has underwhelmed in the preseason so there's a chance the Bills would've been looking for quarterback help regardless, but if the injury is significant they'll have to do something before their preseason finale.
• Ja'Marcus Ingram had a nice day with eight tackles. He was called upon after the Bills took Taron Johnson out of the game in the first quarter and was solid. Ingram is a safe bet to be the Bills fourth boundary cornerback this season.