Buffalo Bills Winners and Losers: Bills-Steelers Edition

Final score: Pittsburgh Steelers 38, Buffalo Bills 7.

For the third consecutive week, the Buffalo Bills lost in the preseason. While the score looks lopsided, it is not indicative of how the Bills' first unit played.

The starters played well against Pittsburgh. It wasn't until the team's second unit entered the game that the team and game spiraled out of control.

Who played well and who played poorly? Read on to find out!

Winner: Fred Jackson

Fred Jackson has seen an increase in the number of rush attempts each preseason game. This week was his best performance, as he rushed seven times for 34 yards and a touchdown.

Jackson was placed on the injured reserve list in November 2011 after fracturing his fibula. If there was any doubt about Jackson's ability to make cuts, make players miss or break tackles, he answered them Saturday night. He moved fluidly and showed off his elusiveness as many Pittsburgh defenders failed to bring him down.

Jackson won't see much work when the Bills travel to Ford Field to play the Detroit Lions in their last preseason game. But Saturday night he showed that he was ready for the start of the regular season.

Winners: Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams and Mario Williams

The starting defensive line of the Buffalo Bills looked excellent against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bills were without one starter, Mark Anderson, who is recovering from a groin injury. That being said, Kyle Williams, Marcell Dareus, and Mario Williams looked didn't miss a beat without him in the lineup.

On the stat sheet, Mario Williams came away as the night's big winner. He registered two sacks on Ben Roethlisberger but it was the play of the interior defensive line that caused both sacks.

On Mario's first sack, Kyle Williams pushed Willie Colon aside and ran right at Roethlisberger. This in turn caused Roethlisberger to scramble up the middle towards Mario Williams.

On Super Mario's second sack, Dareus and Kyle Williams both pushed their opposition back right at Big Ben. Roethlisberger then saw Chris Kelsay coming towards him so he moved to his right, again into the arms of Mario Williams.

Both interior defensive lineman made plays against the run as well. With 9:01 left in the second quarter, Kyle Williams tackled Isaac Redman in the backfield for a three yard loss. Kyle Williams not only pushed aside offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert, but he then pushed fullback Will Johnson back three yards before grabbing Redman in the backfield.

Late in the first half with the Steelers buried on their own two yard line, Dareus blew by Maurkice Pouncey and caused Jonathan Dwyer to try and run up the middle where he was stopped for no gain by Kyle and Mario Williams.

Photos of all four plays can be viewed above.

Mario Williams also deserves credit for getting around the right tackle consistently against the Steelers. All in all, the starters for the Bills defensive line impressed in their dress rehearsal for the opening season. If they play as well as did against the Steelers, the defensive line will cause plenty of headaches for their opposition.

Winner: Brian Moorman

Brian Moorman is Mr. Reliable for the Bills. Entering his 12th season with the team, he is coming off his best season as a pro, when he averaged 48.2 yards per punt. If tonight is any indication, Moorman looks like he'll take up right where he left off.

As pointed out by Tim Graham of the Buffalo News:

"

Brian Moorman had another great night. Moorman forced the Steelers to start possessions on their 4-, 12-, 8- and 2-yard lines. His other punt was a 50-yard drive to the 21.

"

Field position is going to be important to the success of the Bills, and Moorman looks like he'll continue to hold up his end of the bargain.

Winner: Tashard Choice

Tashard Choice pretty much locked up a spot on the Bills' 53-man roster with his solid performance. He rushed for 50 yards on seven carries.

More importantly, Choice showed the ability to find holes and break tackles. Johnny White, his competition for the third running back position, had only one rushing attempt for one yard.

The carry totals speak for themselves, but Choice's solid play should put him over the top as the Bills' third running back.

Loser: Vince Young

Whereas one backup (Tashard Choice) solidified his roster spot, another failed to do so. Vince Young was the favorite to win the backup quarterback job entering this game, but his abysmal performance may leave the door open for Tyler Thigpen to get one more chance.

Young was 12-for-26 passing for 103 yards and threw two interceptions. Both came on poorly thrown balls.

The first came when Young tried to throw across his body. Troy Polamalu jumped the route and intercepted the sailing ball. Later, Robert Golden intercepted another poorly thrown Young pass.

While Young had a few nice passes, he also missed wide-open receivers and also had one throw that caused Bills announcers Steve Tasker and Ray Bentley to wonder who is was targeting.

I still expect Young to win the job as second quarterback, but don't be surprised if Thigpen comes in as second quarterback against the Lions on Thursday.

Loser: Ryan Fitzpatrick

Unfortunately for the Bills and their fans, the starting quarterback also played poorly. The third preseason game was when Ryan Fitzpatrick should have thrived. This is the preseason game that teams treat the same as a regular-season game, so Fitzpatrick should have been prepared.

He finished 7-of-18 for 89 yards and threw a few deeper passes that did not come close to their intended targets. Not all of Fitzpatrick's incomplete passes were his fault. There were two plays in which Stevie Johnson seemingly ran incorrect routes.

Heading into the Bills' final preseason game, it's apparent that Fitzpatrick still needs a lot of work. Last year, defenses sat on the Bills' short patterns, essentially challenging Fitzpatrick to beat them deep. Look for them to do the same this season.

No matter how good the defense or running game is this season, the 2012 Bills will only go as far as Fitzpatrick takes them.

Loser: Terrence McGee

Cornerback Terrence McGee played in his first preseason game Saturday night and the results weren't pretty.

On McGee's first play, Byron Leftwich threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown, whom McGee was covering. McGee shouldn't foot all of the blame for the touchdown. Strong safety Da'Norris Searcy was out of place on the throw.

In the Steelers' next series, Leftwich hit Brown for a 22-yard gain and McGee struggled bring the wide receiver down.

To McGee's credit, he did tackle wide receiver David Gilreath for a one-yard gain on an end-around. Later, after Byron Leftwich fumbled the snap, McGee was awarded with a tackle for a four-yard loss.

McGee provides the Bills with veteran leadership, but Saturday night he looked poor in pass coverage. If his poor plays continues against the Lions, the veteran may find himself out of a job.

Losers: Johnny White and Marcus Easley

Johnny White, a second-year running back out of North Carolina, is on the roster bubble. The Bills are likely to only carry three running backs, so it was important for White to impress the Bills during the preseason.

However, as the preseason has progressed, White has been less and less involved. Saturday night, White was given only one carry. The writing is on the wall for White. It's pretty clear that he won't be a Buffalo Bill in 2012.

Marcus Easley hasn't played in a regular-season game for the Buffalo Bills, but there are some fans who think he is the next big thing, regardless of his play in training camp and the preseason. Let me state that Easley has talent, but he is very raw as a wide receiver.

Saturday night, Easley came into the game late. On a perfectly thrown short pass, he let the ball bounce off his hands. He did make a three-yard catch, but Easley did nothing to move up the Bills' depth chart.

The good news for Bills fans who still think Easley can  pan out is that it turns out he is practice-squad eligible, per Joe Buscaglia of WGR.

There you have it, Bills fans. Which players did you think were winners and losers based on the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers? Voice your opinions in the comment section!

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