The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense hasn’t really gotten in a groove all season.
The Steelers are 10th in the NFL in scoring with an average of 24.9 points per game. However, they are 22nd in passing offense and 27th in rushing offense and total offense.
The Steelers (6-5) have lost four of their last six games, though they still are in first place in the AFC North. However, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been displeased with the offensive inconsistency.
Rodgers will be back in action Sunday when the Steelers host the Buffalo Bills (7-4) at Acrisure Stadium after missing last week’s loss to the Bears in Chicago with a broken bone in his left (non-throwing) wrist. Rodgers, though, does not believe the offensive inconsistency is the result of lack of focus or effort.
"The preparation is there," Rodgers said. “It's the execution. And I wouldn't say it's been up and down, just (not) the last six weeks. This has been the entire season, just a little bit off on some of the details. So, we can tighten that thing up, all 11 of us, and I expect us to play really well."
A win would ensure that the Steelers end the week alone in first place in the AFC North. The second-place Baltimore Ravens’ record fell to 6-6 with a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving night that ended their five-game winning streak.
The game is also important for the Bills (7-4), who are in second place in the AFC East, trailing the New England Patriots (10-2) by 2 ½ games. The Bills have lost two of their last three games.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. and CBS’ top announcing team of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will call the game. Rodgers says they should be enough to get the Steelers and their fans revved up.
"You're playing at home, and you're playing in the 4:25 (p.m.) slot, which means it's going to be a semi-night game because of the time of the year that we're in," Rodgers said. “These are great games. We're on the No. 1 CBS group this week. We got the fans all day to get ready for the game, so we need a loud crowd out there and a great effort. These are the kind of games that you win and take a lot of momentum from as you move forward."