Steelers-Bills Preseason Gameday: TV Info, Lines, Injuries, More

The Pittsburgh Steelers will continue their 2023 preseason slate by welcoming the Buffalo Bills for their first home game of the season and their second preseason game overall.

STEELERS GAMEDAY INFO

Preseason Week 2, Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) vs Buffalo Bills (1-0)
Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, 6:30 p.m.
Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh (68,400, Natural Grass)

Broadcast
TV: KDKA-TV, NFL+ (Bob Pompeani, Charlie Batch, Missi Matthews)

Radio: Steelers Radio Network, 102.5 WDVE-FM (Bill Hillgrove, Craig Wolfley, Max Starks)

SN Coverage: Alan Saunders, Nick Farabaugh, Ed Thompson, Joe Smeltzer
Forecast: Sunny, 77 degrees, wind SW 6 mph.
Lines: Steelers -110, Steelers +1.5, over/under 42.5 FanDuel Sportsbook Promo — $1,000 No Sweat First Bet

AT STAKE

Well, it’s the preseason, so … not much. We will see the Pittsburgh Steelers trot out the starters, though, and that extended look will give us a look at some of the intricacies the offense wants to showcase. But probably the most notable thing will be the NFL and Steelers debut of rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. He missed last Friday’s game with an ankle injury.

RELATED: Joey Porter Jr. Set to Make NFL Debut

Head coach Mike Tomlin said that all healthy Steelers players will play, and we’ll get to the injury report here in a second. That includes all the veterans that did not play last week, such as Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, Patrick Peterson, and Minakh Fitzpatrick. In addition, some of the secondary pieces such as Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee are back and fully healthy.

Starting quarterback Kenny Pickett is expected to play, though for how long, Tomlin has not clarified, saying the team will play it by ear. Coming off a one-drive game against the Buccaneers, it is probably reasonable to expect Pickett to play two drives for the team’s second game.

INJURY REPORT

NFL teams don’t issue official injury reports for preseason games, but we’ll give our best estimation here.

Tomlin already ruled out Larry Ogunjobi (right foot/ankle), Nate Herbig (shoulder), and Tre Norwood (calf). However, the rest of the team is apparently healthy, but there are still some flags we’d like to raise for some guys.

Defensive tackle Keeanu Benton (ankle and Nick Kwiatkoski (shoulder) was still not at full participation on Thursday and should be considered questionable. Outside of that, minor injuries to other players, and those who are ramping up, such as Neal and Kazee, should be considered negligible. All in all the Steelers will come into this game rather healthy.

FROM THE OTHER SIDE

Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills will be playing their starters for about a quarter or so. That means the Steelers will see Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, and all the other starters on the offensive side of the ball. For both of these teams, this could be considered a dress rehearsal of sorts given the amount the starters are likely to play.

THE LAST TIME

Kenny Pickett and the Steelers traveled up to Buffalo in Pickett’s first true NFL start and were plastered by the Bills 38-3. That would start a rough stretch for the Steelers prior to the bye week, and they got little offense going in that game against a stout Bills defense.

The last time these teams met in the preseason was in 2015 when the Bills won in a 43-19 shelling of the Steelers. Michael Vick was the team’s leading passer on that day and Martavis Bryant went off for over 100 yards and a touchdown.

SERIES

The Steelers and Buccaneers have 11 all-time preseason meetings, with the series favoring the Steelers 8-3. This will be the first preseason game between the pair at Acrisure Stadium since 2014.