Tomlin got the battle that he expected against Bills

There are times you hear it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish that matters.

On Sunday in Buffalo, how the Steelers finished is definitely what mattered.

After opening the game down 10-3, including giving up a 75-yard return on the opening kickoff that led to a Bills field goal, things changed fast. The Steelers defense shut the door, while the offense came to life in the second half, bouncing back to defeat the Bills, 23-16, and open the season 1-0.

Coach Mike Tomlin expected it to be a battle, and he wasn’t wrong.

“We knew what type of day we were going to have here from an environmental standpoint, not only just in terms of the crowd, but the new pieces we had on offense, young guys and so forth,” said Tomlin. “We didn’t start great. We gave up a kickoff to start the game off. I thought the defense’s ability to kind of quell that and hold them to three was significant, but we just faced a lot of challenges today.

“Robert Spillane got hurt in warmups. We had to make the last second adjustment. Buddy Johnson got an opportunity to play in his first NFL game, he didn’t even anticipate doing so.

“It’s a great team victory. I’m appreciative of their efforts. Hopefully it’s a sign of what we’re capable of from a will standpoint. But one week in is not going to write your story. It’s just good to come into an environment against AFC giant if you will, defending AFC East champs, and get a win in September. Just really thankful for it.”