Bills baffle TJ Watt, use 'same play' for best performance vs. Steelers since 1975

TJ Watt said he never saw anything like it.

Well, that's because the last Pittsburgh Steelers' team to witness such a feat was the 1975 version.

In an important Week 13 matchup, the Buffalo Bills rushed for 249 yards en-route to a 26-7 win at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. Not only was the rushing total a stadium record, for a building that opened in 2001, it was the highest output by an opponent in Pittsburgh since 1975.

Coincidentally, it was the 1975 Bills who set that record (Sept. 28, 1975). Behind 227 yards from Hall-of-Fame running back OJ Simpson, Buffalo rushed for 310 yards in a 30-21 road win.

OJ Simpson (32) — Dec 16, 1973; Flushing, NY, USA; FILE PHOTO; Buffalo Bills running back O.J. Simpson (32) carries the ball against New York Jets defenders Delles Howell (20) and Ralph Baker (51) at Shea Stadium. During this game Simpson broke the single season NFL rushing record with 2003 yards | Tony Tomsic-Imagn Images

Steelers have no answer

This past Sunday, a bulk of the Bills' success came on a duo run play, aimed at displacing defensive linemen, and Buffalo ran it repeatedly throughout the record-setting performance.

“I’ve never seen a team run the same play as much as they ran today and have as much success as they had," said Watt.

In a rare occurrence for the modern day NFL, Bills' running back James Cook broke the 30-carry mark. Cook rushed 32 times for 144 yards. Ray Davis was effective, too, running for 62 yards on nine carries.

Josh Allen, TJ Watt — Nov 30, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) looks to pass as Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) defends during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Bills' commitment to run

The Bills logged 74 offensive snaps with 51 resulting in rushing attempts.

According to Next Gen Stats, "The Bills called a run on 63.5% of their plays, their 4th-highest rate in a game since drafting Josh Allen in 2018."

While a handful of the 51 rushes were unscripted scrambles by Allen, Buffalo called their running backs' numbers a combined 43 times.

"We're not going to be out-physicaled, and our guys know that. They know what we stand for as well, and what Buffalo Bills football is about also. So that came out in our football team tonight, and it was good to see," said Bills' head coach Sean McDermott.

The Bills called a run on 63.5% of their plays, their 4th-highest rate in a game since drafting Josh Allen in 2018.

James Cook gained 130 yards on under center runs, the 6th-most of any player in a game this season.#BUFvsPIT | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/HUHMHMtCng
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 1, 2025

According to ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, the Bills' offensive line "created 138 yards before contact. Pittsburgh's created 34."

MORE: Sean McDermott reports improvements for 4 banged-up Bills, confirms Joey Bosa injury

Adding an exclamation point on the performance, the Bills did it all without their starting offensive tackles. Ryan Van Demark and Alec Anderson stepped in for the injured Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown.

Nov 30, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) rushes during the third quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

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