The Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills had a joint practice Thursday at Acrisure Stadium, and when the two teams went head-to-head prior to the Week 2 preseason game there were a lot of question marks surrounding the practice. As I’m sure you’ve seen, across the NFL these joint practices have become more and more commonplace, and that also involves the risk of fights.

No joint practice was worse this preseason than when the New York Giants and Detroit Lions had three fights break out at different times during their workout.

Here is one of them:

#Giants rookie Malik Nabers FIGHT with #Lions 😳 Nabers is a menace 😭
pic.twitter.com/bGLuJC08Gx

— DFA Football (@dfafootball1) August 6, 2024

There is good work to be had in these joint practices, but when professional careers, and pride, are on the line, things can go awry. Luckily for both the Steelers and Bills, only minor shoving took place during the workouts. After the workout, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin deemed the workout to be a success.

“The Buffalo Bills are a good dance partner. We had a really productive practice. They’re different than us in some ways, and that’s what made the work really good. We’re a 3-4 structure. They’re a 4-3 structure, so I’d imagine that was good for both offensive lines to see those different structures and get a couple of days work, as opposed to one day’s work with it. They’ve got some continuity within their program and culture, and we do as well. Sean [McDermott] and I have known each other since we were kids. I just think it created a really good and competitive atmosphere while maintaining professionalism.

“And so I’m appreciative of that. We need that type of work, particularly in regards to the special teams. It’s probably the most difficult thing to duplicate in a practice-like setting, the intensity and so forth associated with in-stadium work as it pertains to special teams. I thought we had a couple really good periods in that regard. Both units got an opportunity to execute some punting game. We had an opportunity to get some more work and looks at the kickoff game. And so just really appreciative of that work and in their cooperation and making this thing come off the way that it did.”

The Steelers haven’t had a joint practice since 2016, and it begs the question why the team would choose now to go back to those workouts. According to Tomlin, it has a lot to do with his relationship with Bills head coach Sean McDermott, his college teammate at William & Mary.

“You know, Buffalo is a great dance partner. They’ve got some structural things that are different than how we do business, and it’s just good to gain some exposure. We’re a 3-4 team. They’re a 4-3 team, for instance. And beyond that, ‘McDee’ [Sean McDermott] and I go way back. My former college teammate. I knew that we would have a good opportunity to maintain the professionalism while getting good, competitive work, and I really feel good about what we’re able to do from that standpoint.”

As it pertains to the Steelers success vs. the Bills, there were notable moments. The Steelers offense and defense both won their “7 Shots” drills, and the same can be said about the two-minute drills which took place. Not to sound as if the Steelers dominated the workout, but they did more than just hold their own against a team many consider a top tier team in the AFC.

What’s next? The Steelers host the Bills Saturday night at 7pm EST at NFL Network, so be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold.