The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a 26-7 defeat to the Buffalo Bills in Week 13, marked by injuries to key players Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Queen. Rodgers briefly exited after a strip sack in the second half, while Queen was ruled out with a hip injury earlier in the game. The loss drops Pittsburgh to 6-6, placing them half a game behind the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered their Week 13 matchup against the Buffalo Bills with Aaron Rodgers returning from a one-week absence, wearing a brace on his fractured left wrist. Pittsburgh led 7-3 at halftime, but the game turned decisively in the second half.
On the first play from scrimmage after halftime, Rodgers was sacked from behind by Joey Bosa, resulting in a fumble. Bills cornerback Christian Benford recovered the ball and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown, giving Buffalo the lead. Rodgers sustained a cut on his nose that drew blood and was seen cradling his injured wrist on the ground. He briefly left the game, replaced by Mason Rudolph, who threw an interception to Benford on the next series, leading to another Bills touchdown and extending the lead to nine points.
Rodgers returned but completed just 10 of 21 passes for 117 yards in the loss. The Bills then went on a 23-0 run to secure the 26-7 victory.
Earlier, in the second quarter, Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen suffered a hip injury after tackling Josh Allen on a third-down quarterback run. Queen, the team's green-dot play caller, recorded six tackles, a quarterback hit, and a fumble recovery before exiting. He was downgraded to out for the remainder of the game, with Malik Harrison, Cole Holcomb, and Payton Wilson seeing increased snaps. Queen is second on the team in tackles behind Wilson, who led with seven.
This defeat leaves the Steelers as the No. 9 seed in the AFC, facing the Ravens next week in Baltimore. Pittsburgh's defense showed early scrappiness but couldn't finish against Buffalo.
