Buffalo Plus: Where Are THE BILLS as They Head to Pittsburgh? (November 27, 2025)

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the Buffalo Bills’ standing as they prepare to face the Pittsburgh Steelers—a pivotal matchup with major playoff implications. Hosts Jenna Cottrell, Mike Catalana, and Dan Fetes analyze the team's sense of urgency, a mounting injury list, and the impact and expectations around signing veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The episode is characterized by candid behind-the-scenes insight, lively banter, and sharp, veteran analysis.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sense of Urgency & Playoff Stakes

• Playoff Position & Must-Win Mentality (01:01–02:44)
  • The Bills currently sit in the last AFC playoff slot.
  • With the division not locked up (unlike previous seasons), every week represents a critical opportunity.
  • The Steelers game is particularly important: both teams are fighting for the same wild card spots, and head-to-head tiebreakers could be decisive.
  • Dan Fetes: “Desperate is probably the wrong word…but there’s a very high sense of urgency knowing where they are.” (02:02)
  • Mike Catalana: “The reality is they’re coming off a bad loss…they need a victory badly, and they’re going on the road, a place they haven’t been that great.” (03:13)

2. Major Injury Concerns (03:13–05:26)

• The Bills have a significant number of starters on the injury report.
  • Dion Dawkins in concussion protocol after not feeling well post-Texans game.
  • Spencer Brown (shoulder), Terrel Bernard, and Dalton Kincaid all missed practice.
  • Mike Catalana (on Dawkins): “He’s always out there. And you already are having an issue on the other tackles…” (04:26)
• The uncertainty on the offensive line is critical with Josh Allen facing a formidable Steelers pass rush starring T.J. Watt.

3. Offensive Line Accountability

• Offensive Line’s Response to Texans Loss (06:18–07:53)
  • David Edwards addresses taking the poor performance personally after Allen was sacked eight times in Houston:
    • David Edwards (06:41): “As a competitor, you never want to have games like that...you want to be able to go back out there and show who you truly are...I know what we’ve proven, and I feel like we’re going to respond the right way.”
  • Edwards’ candidness and accountability are seen as authentic and encouraging by the hosts.

4. Josh Allen’s Mindset & Mental Reset (08:46–10:07)

• After a bruising week, Allen returned refreshed from a trip to Wyoming, which seemed to restore his perspective and confidence.
  • Jenna: “He felt very refreshed in a way I wasn’t expecting.” (09:00)
  • Reflecting on the struggle to balance past successes with the present urgency—this Bills team can’t just “flip the switch” on past glories.

5. Brandin Cooks Signing – Realistic Expectations (11:13–16:13)

• Veteran Brandin Cooks (age 32) was signed to the active roster to address the depleted WR room.
• Mike Catalana: “He’s played for great quarterbacks…He came here because he wanted to play with 17 [Josh Allen].” (12:00)
• Dan Fetes is skeptical, urging caution against overhyping Cooks' impact:
  • “I’m not sold on the weapon that he can be for this offense…this thought that Brandin Cooks is going to save this offense, I think, is a little bit of wishful thinking.” (13:25)
• Jenna adds: “Do I expect him to be a world beater?…No, but I think you say, ‘hey desperate times call for desperate measures. Maybe he’s got something—let’s add him.’” (14:01)
• Mike summarizes: “He doesn’t have to be play in, play out the guy that he was to help this team more than what they currently have on the roster...he might be great in a couple of moments.” (15:43)

6. Wide Receiver Room & Roster Missteps Discussion (17:19–20:47)

• The hosts analyze the Bills’ WR mismanagement:
  • Dan: “The Bills have a bottom five wide receiver room in the NFL, no question…That’s frustrating for me.” (19:19)
  • The Cooks signing is a patch, not a cure: “This is a guy that his best years…are behind him. And maybe it is to you, too...that’s where I feel like I was speechless.” (20:39)
• Discussion weaves in the failed Elijah Moore experiment and laments the lack of long-term solutions.

7. What Brandin Cooks Brings—Direct from Cooks (22:40–23:19)

• Brandin Cooks:
  • “First and foremost, jump in here and be the best teammate I could possibly be…But at the end of the day, come out here and remind people…that I’m still the playmaker—and that’s my expectation.” (22:46)
  • “Where’s your speed? It ain’t left. It hasn’t left. I can tell you that much…when my number’s called, show up.” (23:09)
• The hosts discuss the "why not" nature of Cooks’ signing amidst injury uncertainty and low expectations from the rest of the WR group.

8. Practice Observations & Urgency Reflected in Actions (24:34–25:15)

• After practice, more Bills players than usual spent extra time on the field—a tangible signal of the team’s urgency and effort to improve.

9. Players to Watch vs Steelers (26:44–29:31)

• Mike: Center Connor McGovern—his role is more critical than ever with an uncertain OL.
• Dan: Dawson Knox & Ty Johnson—for their essential contributions to pass protection, especially chipping on edge rushers.
• Jenna: DE Greg Rousseau—highlighted for elite pressure rates but needing to finish plays.
• All agree the Steelers' offense is predictable, but the Bills must execute.

10. Food & Football Analogies (31:26)

• Mike Catalana creatively likens the current Bills WR room to pumpkin pie: “It sounds good...but it only is out there, like, at a holiday. No one really chooses this at other times...people get excited until they taste the pumpkin pie, and then they go, okay, give me something else.” (31:26)

Memorable Quotes

• Dan Fetes (On Cooks signing): “As I’ve said before, you can hope in one hand and shit in another and see which one fills up first.” (13:38)
• Mike Catalana (On Brandin Cooks): “He has 10,000 yards in his career. He is an accomplished player. He doesn’t have to be play in, play out the guy that he was…he might be great in a couple of moments.” (15:50)
• David Edwards (Bills OL): “You want to be able to go back out there and show who you truly are…I don’t feel like that [Houston game] was really a reflection of who we are.” (06:41)
• Brandin Cooks: “It ain’t left, it hasn’t left [his speed]. I can tell you that much.” (23:09)
• Jenna Cottrell: “You talk about urgency…having the players get some extra work in while we’re around, I think that’s important. That’s more than I’ve seen in the last couple of weeks.” (24:57)
• Dan Fetes: “The Bills have a bottom five wide receiver room in the NFL, no question. Think about that.” (19:19)
• Mike Catalana (Pumpkin pie analogy): “People get excited until they taste the pumpkin pie, and then they go, okay, give me something else…That’s the way I’ve looked at this room the whole time.” (31:26)

Important Timestamps

• Urgency & Playoff Stakes – 01:01–02:44
• Injury Updates & Concerns – 03:13–05:26
• Offensive Line’s Response – 06:18–07:53
• Josh Allen’s Reset – 08:46–10:07
• Brandin Cooks Discourse – 11:13–16:13
• Brandin Cooks – Direct Quotes – 22:40–23:19
• Post-Practice Urgency – 24:34–25:15
• Player of the Week Predictions – 26:44–29:31
• Pumpkin Pie WR Room Analogy – 31:26

Tone & Dynamics

The episode is a blend of frank critique, inside-the-building reporting, personal anecdotes, and Bills fandom—punctuated by playful jabs and self-aware humor. There's exasperation with injury luck and roster missteps but a shared sense of guarded hope that “experience” and “urgency” could spark some late-season magic.

Quick Takeaways for Non-Listeners

• The Bills-Steeelers matchup is essentially a playoff game for Buffalo’s wild card hopes.
• Injuries, especially at tackle, may be a decisive factor.
• The Brandin Cooks signing brings veteran steadiness but not a magic fix.
• The offensive line is taking responsibility and vowing a response.
• Josh Allen’s mental reset bodes well, but the team needs tangible improvement fast.
• The WR room is one of the weakest in the league; Cooks is a patch, not a solution.
• Expect a gritty, tight game defined by urgency, role players, and in-game adjustments.

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