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The Pittsburgh Steelers went on the road and earned a 27-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills in New Era Field on Sunday.
Le'Veon Bell had a career day, rushing for 236 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries. It's the most yards ever by a Steelers running back, edging out Willie Parker's 223-yard night against the Cleveland Browns in 2006.
No player since 1950 has run for more yards against the Bills, either. According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, Ricky Williams held the old record of 228 yards.
Elias Sports Bureau, via ESPN Stats & Info, provided some more historical perspective on Bell's performance:
Bell also caught four passes for 62 yards, giving 298 total yards from scrimmage. He single-handedly out-gained the Bills (275 yards), which is the first that hat happened in 2016, per Elias Sports (via ESPN Stats & Info).
Bleacher Report's Mike Tanier wondered how Bills head coach Rex Ryan would respond after seeing his defense get shredded:
The Steelers needed Bell to have a big game because the snowy weather in Buffalo wreaked havoc on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He went 17-of-31 for 220 yards and three interceptions. Those kinds of numbers could've had a ripple effect on Pittsburgh's offense.
Instead, Buffalo had no answer for Bell, who gave the Steelers a 14-7 lead heading into halftime with a pair of touchdowns.
The 2014 Pro Bowler opened the scoring with a three-yard touchdown run with six minutes left in the first quarter.
Bell added his second score with 12 minutes remaining in the first half. He didn't appear to have any trouble with the wintry conditions, cutting to his left and finding a path to the end zone. The NFL shared a replay of his seven-yard run:
The Steelers shared a photo of Roethlisberger, who was already putting six points on the board before Bell crossed the goal line:
Sammy Watkins halved the deficit with his first touchdown catch of the season. QB Tyrod Taylor found Watkins in the end zone on an eight-yard pass to make it a 14-7 game at the 7:07 mark of the second quarter.
An issue with the playing surface at New Era Field caused a delay during halftime. The tractors stadium personnel used to clear snow off the field created a problem when they caught the rubber pellets that provide cushioning to the turf.
The Buffalo News' Nick Veronica tweeted a clip of the tractors pushing the pellets into the end zone:
WKBW's Matthew Bove showed workers shoveling the pellets off the field:
Despite having a little extra time to devise a game plan, the Bills remained unable to stop Bell on the ground. NewYorkUpstate.com's Ryan Talbot pointed to an absence on the defensive line as part of the problem:
Bell scored for a third time with 5:28 left in the third quarter to put the Steelers ahead, 21-7, after the ensuing extra point. His touchdown barrage made life difficult for the Steelers' social media team:
Buffalo showed signs of life in the fourth quarter when Charles Clay's 40-yard touchdown reception and the point after trimmed Pittsburgh's advantage to 11 with 7:27 remaining. NFL Fantasy Football provided a visual representation of Clay finding space in the Steelers defense en route to six points:
Dan Carpenter's extra-point attempt hit the left upright, though, which WGRZ's Heather Prusak thought illustrated how the Bills couldn't catch a break:
Buffalo had one last chance at a comeback after LeSean McCoy's three-yard touchdown run with 1:25 left in the game brought the Bills to within seven points, 27-20. Carpenter's onside kick bounced out of bounds—the final nail in Buffalo's coffin.
With Sunday's result, the Steelers are now up a half-game over the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North. The Ravens match up with the New England Patriots on Monday night, so Pittsburgh's lead could grow to a full game by the end of Week 14.
The Steelers and Ravens meet on Christmas Day, and that game may be what decides the division.
The loss could have significant ramifications for Ryan. Buffalo isn't mathematically eliminated from the AFC playoff picture, but it will need to win out to keep those postseason hopes alive.
Should the Bills miss out on the playoffs for the third straight year under Ryan, it could spell the end of his tenure with the team.
CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora spoke to sources who said "an overwhelming performance down the stretch" is required for Ryan to keep his job. Those sources also told La Canfora that Ryan could be fired as early as Monday.
Regardless of whether he coaches the Bills through Week 15, he may be on borrowed time.
Postgame Reaction
Bell said he relished the opportunity to play in Sunday's frigid weather, per ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler:
"Good team win for us in a hostile environment," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said, according to the team's official Twitter account. "Can't say enough about the run game."
Ryan sang a different tune with his postgame comments, per the Bills' Twitter account: "They out-executed us and they deserved the game. We had a bad day today."
Ryan also sounded as if he knows the end is near.
"I've given everything I have and it's obvious it's not going the way we want," he said, according to the team's Twitter account. "Three games left, we're going to give it everything we have."
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
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