How Joey Bosa blew up Aaron Rodgers, plus other big plays that shaped the Bills' big win
With his fifth forced fumble this season, Bosa tied the franchise record set by Aaron Schobel in 2007.
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By the time Aaron Rodgers saw the blitz, it was too late.
The Steelers' 41-year-old quarterback stepped forward to avoid Buffalo Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa.
Rodgers kept scanning the field while his linemen desperately tried to block Bosa and cornerback Christian Benford, whom the Bills sent on a surprise blitz for the first play of the second half Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium.
Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau (50) stops Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) short of the first down
to force a turnover-on-downs during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (Joshua Bessex/Buffalo News)
Rodgers planted his back foot to prepare to throw, but he didn't see the hit coming. Bosa got free and leveled Rodgers from behind. The quarterback fumbled. Benford picked up the ball and ran it in for a touchdown, giving the Bills their first lead in a 23-7 win over the Steelers.
With his fifth forced fumble this season, Bosa tied the franchise record set by Aaron Schobel in 2007.
"It was by far the biggest play of the game," Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau said. "It was a huge momentum swing."
The Steelers tried to surprise the Bills with a play-action pass on first down when a sixth offensive lineman was on the field. Steelers running back Jaylen Warren was open for a short completion over the middle of the field, but the pressure got to Rodgers so quickly that Warren was covered by the time Rodgers climbed the pocket.
The sack by Bosa forced Rodgers to leave for the blue medical tent because he fell on his broken left wrist. Mason Rudolph, the Steelers' backup quarterback, entered the game for the next drive, and he threw an interception to Benford.
Eight plays later, Josh Allen threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman as the Bills began to pull away for their eighth win of the season.
Bills defensive end Joey Bosa sacks Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during the third quarter Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Gene J. Puskar, Associated Press
Here are other plays that shaped the game:
Tre'Davious White's clutch stop
One of Rodgers' fastest receivers, Calvin Austin, had single coverage on third-and-10 during the Steelers' first drive of the game.
Rodgers trusts that he can make a perfect throw in that situation. A safety can't make a play on the ball, so Rodgers would rather misfire on an overthrow than force his receiver to come back to him to make a play.
Rodgers tried to place the ball over Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White to get to Austin. White didn't allow Austin to separate, though, and the Steelers receiver helped his opponent make a play that forced Pittsburgh to punt the ball.
"I just played my technique, man," White said, explaining the pass breakup with 7:45 left in the first quarter. "I was in a position where I couldn’t look back for the ball. I knew the ball was coming because his eyes got big. I just tried to stay poised. Once he went up, I didn’t let my body touch him because I know how they call it. If you keep your poise and play through with the hands, which I did, I was able to knock the ball down. Routine play for me."
James Cook's giveaway
The Bills were averaging more than 6 yards per carry when Josh Allen handed the ball to James Cook on first-and-1 at Buffalo’s 45-yard line.
Cook ran toward his left guard, David Edwards, and bounced outside to avoid Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward. Cook then extended his right arm to try to fend off outside linebacker Nick Herbig. While trying to fight through Herbig’s tackle, Cook’s right knee hit the football. He lost control and dove to try to regain possession. It slipped out of his grasp again, and linebacker Patrick Queen recovered the fumble.
Six plays later, Steelers running back Jaylen Warren plunged into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown that gave Pittsburgh a 6-0 lead. Cook has two fumbles over the past four games – the two-time Pro Bowl selection had none last season – and the Bills have 11 turnovers over their last four games.
"We knew the only way we were going to be stopped is if we stopped ourselves," Bills center Connor McGovern said. "We kept going with the run game, and they couldn’t stop it. Our defense did a hell of a job."
Big play, over and over
Defenses know the Bills are either going to run inside zone, outside zone or duo.
Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt told reporters that his coaches reminded players throughout the week that Cook likes to bounce to the outside while running one of those three types of plays.
The Steelers still couldn't stop it. McGovern reached the second level to block linebacker Malik Harrison. Right guard O'Cyrus Torrence cleared out defensive tackle Keanu Becton. Alec Anderson took care of Watt. Jackson Hawes pulled left to handle linebacker Cole Holcomb.
Cook cut to his right, behind Bills receiver Tyrell Shavers, who blocked safety Kyle Duggar, and nobody touched Buffalo's running back until he gained 31 yards. Four plays later, Allen threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Coleman that put Buffalo ahead, 16-7, with 8:53 left in the fourth quarter.
"He’s reading every block," said Ryan Van Demark, who started at left tackle for Buffalo. "Even if you’re slightly off, he makes you look great. Having a running back who can fix our problems, it’s awesome."
It was Cook's seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season. He is the fourth Bills running back all-time to have seven or more such games in the first 12 games of a season.
Steelers give away the play
A Steelers offensive lineman gave away the play call without knowing it.
As the Bills' defense gathered for a fourth-and-2 in the fourth quarter, Rousseau noticed one of Pittsburgh's offensive lineman was looking down at the ground.
If the Bills weren't leading by 16 points, Rousseau may have thought twice before he acted on the potential slip-up by his opponent. But the game situation meant Rousseau could take the kind of risk that might not have been possible with a tighter score. Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith couldn't get two hands on Rousseau before he exploded through the line and tackled Kenneth Gainwell for a 2-yard loss.
"I heard them talking before the play," said Rousseau. "It was obvious, their demeanor. Their tackle was looking down, so I thought to myself, ‘They’ve got to be running inside zone.’ I just shot it. I said, ‘Whatever happens.’ We were up by two scores, too, so it allows you to play a little bit more free and maybe take a chance."
