Bills 28, Steelers 27: Wheeler and Buechele Steal It Late

August 27, 2026 - Orchard Park - Ian Wheeler scored from two yards with 1:06 left. Shane Buechele, fading from pressure, found Dante Pettis for the two-point conversion.

The Buffalo Bills beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-27 and closed the preseason 3-0. Josh Allen never needed to leave the sideline. He was on the headset with rookie head coach Joe Brady while the backups finished the night.

Pittsburgh finished 1-2. Aaron Rodgers stayed home. Mason Rudolph watched from the bench.

Howard started. Allar closed. Neither separated.

Will Howard, a 2025 sixth-round pick, started and went 9 of 15 with two touchdowns and an interception. Both scoring drives started inside Buffalo's 30. He hit Germie Bernard for 13 yards and Lake McRee for 5. The pick was his third of the preseason after two in last week's 17-0 loss to the Jets. The team said he was being evaluated for an undisclosed injury and was not made available to reporters.

Drew Allar went 9 of 18 for 88 yards. He oversaw a touchdown drive to open the second half, capped by Elie Heidenreich's 9-yard run. Pittsburgh's last chance died at its own 38. Allar's fourth-and-7 throw sailed behind McRee with 44 seconds left.

Kaden Wetjen returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown four minutes into the fourth. 27-17 Steelers. Special teams ace Ben Skowronek left after a first-half collision with Mecole Hardman. Mike McCarthy did not have an update.

Buechele, Wheeler, and a 3-0 preseason

Buechele finished 26 of 38 for 196 yards. Frank Gore Jr. scored from a yard. Skyler Bell scored on a 28-yard reverse. After Wheeler's third-down plunge, Buechele backpedaled and still got the ball to Pettis on the left side of the goal line.

Brady, 36, is the NFL's youngest head coach and just closed a perfect preseason. He said Allen's first thought on the headset is usually the call he should be making. Kyle Allen appears to have the primary backup job. Buechele is fighting for a roster spot with cuts due this weekend.

AthX Engine, if this were a regular-season card

AthX Engine NFL scoring on Thursday's verified lines:

Wheeler's rushing touchdown is 6 fantasy points plus rush yards. Bell's 28-yard reverse is another rushing score. Wetjen's 45-yard punt return touchdown is a special-teams 6. Howard's two passing scores count. His interception is a negative on the QB card. Preseason games are not stored as AthX Engine weekly lines yet.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay when Allen and Rodgers are actually in September plans.

Track Allen, Rodgers, and the Bills and Steelers on the marketplace. Buffalo opens at Houston on Sept. 13. Pittsburgh hosts Atlanta the same day.

*Sources: AP recap, NFL.com schedules. Information only; not financial advice.*