ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — On the bright side, Kenny Pickett may have gotten the most lopsided loss of his NFL career out of the way in his very first start. After all, it was the worst for the franchise in 33 years. He and the Steelers should hope that mark will stand, given that the Bills booted them into the stratosphere, 38-3, Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
Wait, no, that was Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs who kicked a ball into the stands after his 15-yard touchdown catch, the Bills’ only punt of the first half. Yep, it was that ugly for the Steelers, who might have to wonder if the Pickett era started too early, too late or maybe just at the worst possible time — on the road facing the Super Bowl favorites.
The Bills looked every bit of that with their high-flying offense and punishing defense. Superstar quarterback Josh Allen racked up 400 total yards of offense before halftime, including first-half career highs of 348 yards passing and four touchdowns. Allen’s 98-yard strike to Gabe Davis barely a minute into the game was the longest touchdown allowed by the Steelers since 1966, the first of many indignities in what turned out to be their worst loss under Mike Tomlin and biggest blowout since a 51-0 home loss to the Browns in 1989.
