Last Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Buffalo Bills in an upset victory in the Bills’ own stadium by the score of 23-16. So does this win do anything to quiet the doubters saying the team is bound for failure this year?

On one hand, the Steelers’ defense was reminiscent of what it was during the Steelers’ golden era, the Steel Curtain of the 70s that led the team to 4 world titles. Linebacker T.J. Watt, the face of the Steelers defense, sacked Bills quarterback Josh Allen twice and helped keep scoring to a minimum. 

On the other hand, the Steelers’ offense was weak in the first half, ending every downfield drive with a punt. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger couldn’t seem to put the football in the right place when throwing to his receivers, and rookie running back Najee Harris was unable to pick up any slack.

This offense changed during the second half, however, and scored 20 unanswered points, topped off by a field goal near the end of the game to seal the win.

After the game, the fans of both teams were shocked by the outcome. The Steelers jumped from 10th place to 5th in power rankings, and the Bills dropped from 3rd place to 6th, per the NFL’s own website.

Pittsburgh players reacted on social media. Star wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster went live on Instagram after the game, celebrating in the locker room with his teammates. 

This week, the Steelers play their home opener versus the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday at 1:00 PM. The Raiders won against the Baltimore Ravens in overtime on Monday, and a Steelers loss could bring the team’s doubters back out in full force.

Only time will tell if the Steelers have what it takes to bring the world title back to Pittsburgh for a record 7th time.