Buffalo is on the road for a second consecutive week after losing to Houston in Week 12. Its opponent, Pittsburgh, is also coming off a loss. The Steelers faced Chicago on the road and lost 31-28. Pittsburgh holds a 4-2 record at home, and the Bills hope to taint that while improving their 2-3 away game record.

The last time these two teams met, Buffalo came out victorious in an AFC Wild Card Game on Jan. 15, 2024, beating the Steelers 31-17 at Highmark Stadium. The Bills last faced Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium in 2019, winning 17-10. This is one of three wins they pulled out all-time on the road against the Steelers. Quarterback Josh Allen has never lost in Pittsburgh in his career.

Injury updates from first practice of Week 13

Head coach Sean McDermott gave an injury report on Wednesday.

Tight end Dalton Kincaid (hamstring), wide receiver Curtis Samuel (elbow/knee), linebacker Terrel Bernard (elbow), left tackle Dion Dawkins (concussion), defensive tackle DaQuon Jones (illness) and right tackle Spencer Brown (shoulder) did not practice.

Injured Reserve is a consideration for Samuel and Brown is still a day-by-day evaluation, according to McDermott.

Dawkins cleared concussion protocol during the game against Houston. McDermott said the update on his status came on Friday after the game. He said if Dawkins is cleared to play on Sunday, he's confident the offensive tackle can plug back into the system without a hiccup.

McDermott also said Kincaid is improving. While it is not certain he will play at Pittsburgh, McDermott said there is a chance of that possibility.

"We'll see. There's a chance," McDermott said. "We'll just take it one at a time here."

Defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis (shoulder), wide receiver Joshua Palmer (ankle) and cornerback Maxwell Hairston (concussion) were limited on Wednesday. Hairston is working through his concussion protocol and was in a non-contact jersey at practice.

Allen (right elbow), offensive tackle Tylan Grable (concussion), defensive end Joey Bosa (wrist) and fullback Reggie Gilliam (knee) practiced in full.

Recovering from Thursday night loss vs. Houston

The Bills had a tough battle against the Texans on Thursday Night Football, but have 10 days before returning to the field. The mini bye week over the weekend gave the players a little extra time to rest, recover and bounce back physically and mentally in preparation to win in Week 13.

Especially given the eight sacks Allen took, McDermott said the quarterback's injury update is more so in regards to overall soreness.

With Dawkins and Brown potentially not playing on Sunday, McDermott isn't worried about Allen's ability to adjust. The Steelers aren't an unfamiliar opponent to the 2024 MVP. Allen is 3-1 against them; and he is also 26-9 coming off a loss in his career.

"Ultimately, it takes everybody doing their job, stepping up and making plays, and communicating well," Allen said. "You can't replace your two starting tackles, it's hard to do that, but we trust the guys that are willing to step up and play if need be."

As for Grable's availability, McDermott said the team is taking things one day at a time, working him back into the system. The team opened his 21-day practice window from injured reserve.

"[Grable's] a young player that we have a lot of confidence in … [but] he hasn't played in a while. So, he went out, I believe, in preseason there, if not before," McDermott said. "So, we get that. We understand that. We'll just take it one day at a time, and he'll work back in, and we'll go from there."

In addition to physical rest and recovery, McDermott gave a positive update on wide receiver Keon Coleman's personal growth since his disciplinary absence from Weeks 12 and 13.

"Being a short run-up to the next game, we rolled with the same group we had the week before just because of the short turnaround," McDermott said of Coleman's absence from Houston's game. "So, really, we're forward-looking right now in terms of what could happen this week. We'll take it one day at a time. We'll see where it goes."

The Bills signed wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the active roster on Nov. 25. McDermott said Cooks is a good, veteran addition to the room, noting his speed and well-roundedness both as a wideout and overall football player.

Wednesday was Cooks' first practice with the team. In his short time with the team, McDermott said he's off to a good start in terms of picking up Buffalo's system and terminology.

"You get here and just get going. Drinking from a firehose at the end of the day, just going out there, that's the best way to learn," Cooks said. "To be put out there, if you make a mistake then so what, keep going; but I put it on myself to study at night. My family's not here with me, so I got all the time in the world. No excuses right now."

'Urgency is up'

With the end of the regular season on the horizon, Buffalo is currently the seventh seed in the AFC. On the bubble are the Texans (6-5), Chiefs (6-5), and Steelers (6-5).

"Back against the wall mindset," Allen said. "We'd love to be 11-0 right now, as would everybody else in the NFL … every week's an opportunity to go up there and prove to ourselves that we do have what it takes, and we're just very excited for another opportunity on Sunday."

While in recent years, the Bills clinched or were likely to clinch the division around this time of the season, they are familiar with the position they are currently in. In 2023, Buffalo was 6-6 in Week 12. It buckled down and won out, claiming first in the AFC East with a five-game win streak.

"There's a number of teams who aren't even in contention to do that at this point … We are in contention, and that's where we have to start with our mindset," McDermott said. "There's a number of teams in the hunt, and we've got to take it one game at a time and make sure that we understand the urgency."

Protecting Josh Allen

Dawkins and Brown are uncertain to play in Week 13, but the offensive line – starters or not – have an edge to protect its quarterback better.

"As a competitor, you never want to have games like that," offensive guard David Edwards said on Wednesday. "Anytime [Allen is] put in harm's way like that – he's getting hit, he's getting sacked – that inner competitor comes out in you to try and right those wrongs."

Swing tackle Ryan Van Demark is capitalizing on the reps with Allen. He said every rep regardless of the personnel around him is important, but there's a different feeling when playing to protect his starting quarterback.

"It's awesome. I mean, being out there with [Allen] and the guys who are starting, it helps a lot for sure," Van Demark said. "But when you're that scout team guy and you know you're the swing tackle, you're treating every one of those scout team reps like it's a starting rep, like you're out there with the starting guy."

In the short amount of time Van Demark had on the field against the Texans, he said it felt good to get out on the field, log a few reps, and get his hands in front of a defense live. Moving forward, he said he's working on the imperfections from that small sample count and getting reps on each side at practice to be prepared for whatever Sunday throws his way.

"I've had reps with whoever is going to be out there and feel confident that whoever's out there is going to do a great job," Edwards said. "We've got great guys that have experience, that have played a lot of games and it's going to be a great environment, a great defense, a great challenge for us."

McDermott and Allen pointed out Pittsburgh's defensive line. Linebacker T.J. Watt, specifically, has 43 total tackles, seven sacks, seven passes defensed, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception.

"They fly around … really good unit," Allen said. "Obviously led by their defensive line and their defensive front. So, we got to be ready for whatever they throw at us and put together a good game plan."