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Records: Pittsburgh (10-7); Buffalo (11-6)
Kickoff: Sunday 1 p.m., CBS
Opening line: Bills by 10, according to FanDuel Sportsbook
Against the spread: Steelers 10-7; Bills 7-10
Series record: Steelers lead 17-12
Last meeting: Bills beat Steelers 38-3 in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Oct. 9, 2022
Last week: Steelers beat Ravens 17-10; Bills beat Dolphins 21-14
Steelers offense: OVERALL (25), RUSH (13), PASS (25), SCORING (28)
Steelers defense: OVERALL (21), RUSH (19), PASS (17), SCORING (6)
Bills offense: OVERALL (4), RUSH (7), PASS (8), SCORING (6)
Bills defense: OVERALL (9), RUSH (15), PASS (6), SCORING (4)
Turnover differential: Steelers plus-11; Bills plus-2
Steelers player to watch: QB Mason Rudolph's unlikely late-season emergence helped Pittsburgh rip off three straight wins to reach the playoffs for the 11th time in coach Mike Tomlin's 17 seasons. Rudolph is set to be a free agent in the offseason and how he plays on Sunday could go a long way toward determining his future in Pittsburgh or elsewhere.
Bills player to watch: With WR Gabriel Davis' status uncertain because of a knee injury, look for Khalil Shakir to take on an even bigger role in the Josh Allen-led passing attack. Shakir's stock has already been rising over the past three games, in which he's combined for 13 catches for 198 yards, and coming off a six-catch, 105-yard outing against Miami.
Key matchup: The Bills defensive front vs. Steelers RB tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. In closing the season by winning five straight, Buffalo is allowing an average of 96 yards rushing, but has given up six TDs rushing. Harris has heated up with 312 yards rushing and four scores in his past three, with Warren contributing 132 yards rushing and a score over the same span.
Key injuries: The Steelers will be without star OLB T.J. Watt. The NFL's sack leader is out with a left knee injury sustained in the season finale at Baltimore. Rookie Nick Herbig and veteran Markus Golden will fill in. Pittsburgh is optimistic safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) will return after missing the past three games. … Buffalo's depleted defense could be missing two more key players with CB Rasul Douglas (knee) and S Taylor Rapp (calf) not practicing on Wednesday. Douglas indicated he could have returned after being hurt against Miami. WR Davis' status bears monitoring after he hurt his knee last weekend. LT Dion Dawkins is expected to play after requiring stitches to close a deep cut on his hand last weekend.
Series notes: The Bills have won three of four, including a 38-3 rout in their most recent meeting in which Allen threw four touchdown passes, and Buffalo totaled 552 yards. The outing was Kenny Pickett's first career start, in which he went 34 of 52 for 327 yards and an interception, with a majority of his production coming in the second half, which began with Pittsburgh trailing 31-3. … The winning team in each of their three playoff meetings has gone on to reach the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh beat Buffalo in the divisional round in 1974 on its way to winning its first Super Bowl title. Buffalo beat Pittsburgh in the 1992 season divisional round, before going on to lose its third of four consecutive Super Bowl appearances. And the Steelers beat Buffalo in the divisional round of the '95 season playoffs, before going on to lose to Dallas in the Super Bowl.