After allowing eight sacks in Week 12, the Buffalo Bills may have an even harder time protecting QB Josh Allen Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bills enter the week with LT Dion Dawkins and RT Spencer Brown’s status in doubt for the game. Their names are among several injuries the Bills have entering the week.
Bills HC Sean McDermott said LT Dion Dawkins, RT Spencer Brown, LB Terrel BernardTE Dalton Kincaid, WR Curtis Samuel will not practice on Wednesday.
Dawkins is in concussion protocol.
Potential that the Bills could be without both starting offensive tackles vs. the Steelers.
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) November 26, 2025
Allen was sacked eight times as Buffalo’s offense was pummeled by a strong Houston Texans defense last Thursday night. Those eight takedowns were the third most experienced by any quarterback this season, only trailing Justin Fields’ nine and Geno Smith’s 10, and the most times Allen had ever been sacked in his career. Even his legs and mobility couldn’t elude the Texans’ rush.
Brown failed to finish the game with a shoulder injury. Dawkins finished the game but evidently experienced concussion symptoms post-game that placed him in the league’s protocol. A multi-step process is needed for him to return. That includes practicing. Dawkins and Brown failed to work Wednesday.
It gives Pittsburgh’s pass rush an advantage. The Steelers are looking for more pressure than the one QB hit they put on Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams on Sunday. That one play was a big one, T.J. Watt’s strip-sack that Nick Herbig recovered for a touchdown, but Williams was kept clean otherwise. Operating from a pristine pocket and playing on schedule, he fired three touchdown passes and no interceptions against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh’s pass rush has run hot and cold. The Steelers have notched five or more sacks in five of 11 games. But they’ve also registered one or zero in four of them. Like the rest of the team, Pittsburgh’s front has run hot and cold throughout the season.
Pressuring Allen will be key. That doesn’t always result in an automatic win for the defense. Allen’s ability to escape and extend plays are among his greatest strengths. Certainly his most unique. But a week after not blitzing Chicago, Pittsburgh seems likely to send plenty of heat Allen’s way.
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