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Gabe Davis #13 of the Buffalo Bills.
The Buffalo Bills have been one of the best teams in the NFL over the first half of the 2025 campaign, with Josh Allen and company sporting a record of 6-3 heading into Week 11. However, this team is far from perfect, having come off a shocking loss to division rival Miami Dolphins, 30-13.
Although the Bills have encountered some bumps in the road this season, the team remains a heavyweight in the AFC and is likely to be a force to be reckoned with heading into the NFL playoffs, especially with the return of veteran wide receiver Gabe Davis to the mix.
GettyGabe Davis #13 of the Buffalo Bills.
After spending the 2024 NFL season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Davis chose to return to the Bills for the 2025 campaign. However, he has yet to play a game this season due to a knee issue, but that seems as though it is about to change.
“I’m good. I’m ready to roll. So whenever they give me that call,” Davis said about his status during media availability on Thursday.
Davis was also asked about what the Bills’ passing offense needs to do to improve moving forward.
“I just feel like as a team we just need to understand that winning is hard in this league,” Davis said. “We just all have to make it easier for each other on the field. Sometimes we just make it a little too difficult.”
Davis also chimed in on whether he’s surprised that the passing game has struggled this season.
“Honestly, I just think we have to play to our standards,” Davis said. “I feel like we all as a collective forgot about how hard it is to win. It doesn’t matter who we play. It’s about us, and we got to go out there and play our game.”
With Davis having good chemistry and a history with Allen as his quarterback, the Bills’ passing game should get a boost with the veteran’s return to the field, and they’ll need it going up against a tough Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo on Sunday.
GettyJosh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills have shown over the first half of the 2025 campaign that they can be a flawed football team at times, and that could come back to haunt them late in the season if they don’t clean up their act.
Even though losing to the lowly Dolphins was a gut punch for Allen and company, the Bills have a perfect opportunity to bounce back with a vengeance in Week 11 against the Buccaneers to prove they can beat one of the elite teams in the league.
The matchup with the Bucs will be one of the two toughest remaining on the Bills’ regular-season schedule. The other will be the showdown with the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 28, which will be the second-to-last game of the regular season.
If Buffalo comes out on top in both games, Allen and company might be back to form as the team to beat in the AFC.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday for the second time in the 2025 season. Pittsburgh lost the first matchup to the Bengals earlier in the season, and the Steelers are 1-2 since that loss. The Steelers desperately need to get back in the win column as their lead in the AFC North has dropped to just one game, but that will be hard to do against the potent offense of the Bengals, especially with the Steelers’ offense struggling mightily over the last two weeks.
Pittsburgh’s defense was horrendous during the last matchup with Cincinnati. The group gave up 33 points and couldn’t find a way to stop the Bengals on the ground or through the air. Fans are hoping for a different outcome on Sunday, but that is going to be hard to come by as Pittsburgh is dealing with some significant injuries on that side of the football. The franchise’s injury report came out on Friday, and Alex Highsmith , Darius Slay, and Cole Holcomb were all ruled out for the rematch with Cincinnati.
Slay exited Pittsburgh’s Week 10 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers as he was being evaluated for a concussion, and he has been in the league’s concussion protocol throughout the week. Hopefully he can return in Week 12, but he will miss the matchup with the Bengals. The same goes for Highsmith who is dealing with a pectoral injury.
Holcomb will also miss his third straight game due to an illness, but he did return to the practice field this week which should allow for him to return in Week 12 against the Chicago Bears. The Slay and Highsmith news is much more significant as those are two regular starters for Pittsburgh, and Highsmith has been playing well in recent weeks when it comes to getting to the passer.
Cincinnati rosters arguably the best wide receiver duo in the league, which is why a good pass rush and coverage are so vital when it comes to beating them. The Steelers will have to find a way to do that without Highsmith. Nick Herbig will see the field more due to Highsmith’s absence, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as he has played well throughout his young career and has seemed to take another step forward in 2025. Slay will likely be replaced in the starting lineup by James Pierre, as the coaching staff seems to like keeping Jalen Ramsey at safety.
Pierre has played well in 2025 despite seeing limited opportunities. He is currently eighth in the league when it comes to pass breakups, but he should be prepared to be targeted quite a bit while going up against a veteran quarterback.
The left side of the offensive line is a little banged up in Pittsburgh. Broderick Jones was dealing with a groin injury throughout the week, but he should be ready to go on Sunday, while Isaac Seumalo is in danger of missing his second straight game as he has been ruled questionable. The veteran guard has been fighting a nagging pectoral injury, and he has exited games in recent weeks for that issue. He missed Pittsburgh’s game against the Chargers in Week 10.
Spencer Anderson filled in at left guard, but he gave up four pressures in the loss to Los Angeles, which is concerning for this matchup with Cincinnati. This could also affect Pittsburgh’s “jumbo package,” which has been a big key for the offense when it comes to running the ball well.