The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the all-time series with the Buffalo Bills 17-11, but it’s a lot closer when they travel to Buffalo where Pittsburgh lag behind 7-8. The two teams met in the season opener last year with the Steelers surprising many with a come from behind 23-16 win.
The Steelers monopolized the early exchanges in the seventies, but in the eighties, it would be the Bills who controlled the contests. Their domination continued into their Super Bowl heyday of the early nineties when they played in four straight championship games, only to lose all of them.
When the Steelers played their 2004 regular season finale in Buffalo, they had already wrapped up home field advantage for the playoffs. With their rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffering with bruised ribs, it made sense to rest him and start veteran Tommy Maddox.
Bills’ head coach Mike Mularkey was a former tight end and an assistant coach with the Steelers. The Bills needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and were on a six-game winning streak. The Steelers were without Roethlisberger and several other starters which saw the Bills favored by 9.5 points.
The (14-1) Steelers at the (9-6) Bills January 2, 2005
After the Steelers’ first series went three and out, the Bills fumbled the kick return. Larry Foote recovered for the Steelers at the Buffalo 20. Having moved the chains once, the drive stalled, and Jeff Reed kicked a 22-yard field goal.
On their next possession the Steelers returned the turnover favor when Antwaan Randle El fumbled a catch at midfield. On the back of Willis McGahee’s running the Bills moved downfield with a 3-yard touchdown run from McGahee giving Buffalo a 7-3 lead.
A good kick return of 20 yards saw the Steelers start their ensuing possession on their opponent’s 49. Tommy Maddox’s completion of 24 yards to Lee Mays with runs from Duce Staley moved the ball before Randle El hauled in a 16-yard touchdown catch to put the Steelers 10-7 in front.
In the second quarter, Jeff Reed added two field goals from 21 and 31 yards, while the Bills kicked one from 37 yards. Pittsburgh went into the locker room with a 16-10 advantage.
On the Steelers first series in the second half, Maddox threw an interception that Nate Clements returned for a touchdown. The Bills edged a point ahead after a successful conversion.
The Bills then missed a 28-yard field goal attempt wide right. That miss was made more conspicuous when followed by a huge run of 58 yards from Willie Parker on the next play from scrimmage. The Steelers were able to reclaim a slender lead at the beginning of the final period after Reed kicked a 37-yard field goal.
The Bills’ following possession saw the Steelers defense produce the play of the game. As the team blitzed, Ricardo Colclough sacked Drew Bledsoe. The ball popped into the air and landed in the grateful hands of backup linebacker James Harrison who returned it 18 yards for a touchdown.
That was the pivotal moment when the Steelers took a lead they would not relinquish before Jeff Reed added another field goal from 33 yards.
With 1:22 remaining McGahee ran in a 1-yard touchdown for the Bills. Buffalo’s onside kick was picked up by Ike Taylor to enable the Steelers second stringers to post the win.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 29 at the Buffalo Bills 24
The Steelers moved onto the playoffs where they lost to New England in the Conference Championship. The Bills missed the playoffs for the fifth year running.
Despite not playing, Roethlisberger left a mark on his debut regular season that saw him earn thirteen wins. His rookie completion percentage at 66.4 and his passing rating of 98.1 both surpassed those of Dan Marino.
Rookie free agent Willie Parker’s 58-yard run was the longest in seven years for the Steelers. “When he gets into the secondary, he has another gear,” complimented Coach Cowher. “He’s the fastest back we have.”
“It’s a blessing to get in there and show my talents off,” Parker said of his 100-yard game. “I always had a lot of confidence in myself. It was just a matter of getting out there and making plays.” A year later, Parker would add the longest run in Super Bowl history to his résumé.
Hines Ward caught two passes for eleven yards to add a fourth consecutive 1000-yard season.
Jeff Reed’s five field goals were one short of his record six against Jacksonville which is still tied first on the Steelers All-Time record list.
Roethlisberger, who was on the sideline commented, “I told someone, ‘If I’m dreaming, I don’t want to wake up because I want to keep this going. What’s so special about this team is everyone is selfless.”
The victory saw the Steelers become the first AFC team to finish 15-1 in a season after the league expanded the number of games to 16 in 1978. They also became the first team to win in Buffalo in January. The Bills were 8-0 in the playoffs and 1-0 in the regular season before that defeat by the Steelers.
