The preseason is officially in the books for the Buffalo Bills.

They were on the field Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, giving them some extra time to decide on their 53-man roster. In this one, the Bills primarily played reserves, which meant there were some intriguing battles for roster spots taking place.

This game alone won't decide who makes the cut, but there were some statements made during the exciting 28-27 victory. Here we look back at the game and identify which players stood out as winners and who lost some ground in the preseason finale.

Winner: LB Keonta Jenkins

Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2025 out of Virginia Tech, Keonta Jenkins played in three games as a rookie and is currently battling with Joe Andreessen for what could be the final spot at inside linebacker. On Thursday, Jenkins did all he could to secure his spot, beginning with a sack early in the first quarter. He had another big play just before the two-minute warning, making an open-field tackle against Travis Homer to force a punt.

Jenkins was one of the players who missed on a tackle during the Kaden Wetjen punt return for a touchdown, but overall, it was a solid outing for Jenkins.

Loser: PR Ray Davis

Ray Davis has been campaigning for the punt return job and had 12 yards on one return against the Browns. On Thursday, he got another chance and on his first opportunity, he muffed the punt and gave the ball to the Steelers at the 13-yard line. One play later, the Bills were trailing 7-0 after Germie Bernard scored a touchdown on a pass from Will Howard.

He recovered with a 12-yard return on his next attempt, which could help his case for the job. Still, the muff is concerning and put his defense in a tough spot, which could be devastating in the regular season.

Winner: RB Frank Gore Jr.

Ian Wheeler has turned heads throughout the preseason, but Frank Gore Jr. isn't one to be overlooked. He showed off his talent as a receiver, ripping off a 24-yard gain in the third quarter. While his ability to make people miss in the open field isn't surprising, Gore also proved he can do the dirty work with a one-yard touchdown rush during the second quarter.

Buffalo is incredibly deep at the running back position with James Cook, Ray Davis, and Ty Johnson as their top three options. That means even with this performance Gore might not make the 53-man roster, but he proved he belongs in the NFL.

Loser: WR Mecole Hardman

Mecole Hardman is fighting for the final spot at wide receiver and hasn't had a great preseason. He's flahsed his speed and playmaking skills, but also has a couple of drops. He added another on Thursday, dropping the ball on second-and-11 from the 15. Hardman needed to be perfect this offseason to make the roster and that wasn't the case, which could be to his detriment.

Winner: P Tommy Doman

While Wishnowsky had the shank in the first quarter, Tommy Doman continued to play well. He not only showed he can handle kickoff duties if needed, but had four punts for 208 yards. One of his best was late in the second quarter when Doman punted it 49 yards. The distance wasn't what stood out though, but rather the hangtime and the fact that Doman kicked it out of bounds, pinning the Steelers at the 10-yard line while ensuring there was no return.

Loser: P Mitch Wishnowsky

Veteran punter Mitch Wishnowsky is in the middle of a battle for the punting job and while rookie Tommy Doman was showing off his versatility by handling kickoff duties, Wishnowksy found himself making an unfortunate mistake. Late in the first quarter, Wishnowsky had a 51-yard punt called back due to illegal formation. He was forced to re-kick and it was a rough punt that traveled 19 yards before going out of bounds, and landing directly on the head of a member of the chain gang.

Winner: OLB T.J. Parker

There wasn't much that went right for the Bills in the first quarter, but T.J. Parker tried to turn that around in the second quarter. Parker, who has been progressing each week, batted down a pass attempt from Will Howard to force an incompletion. A couple of plays later, he delivered a hit on Howard as he attempted to throw, causing another pass to fall incomplete. Shortly after that, Damar Hamlin recorded his second pick of the preseason, but it was Parker who started to swing the momentum.

Loser: DT DeWayne Carter

The first quarter was a frustrating one for the Bills who had dropped passes, muffed punts, and missed tackles that led to a 14-3 defecit in the blink of an eye. That had the players feeling frustrated, with DeWayne Carter being flagged for unneccesary roughness following the second touchdown of the first quarter. For a player on the roster bubble, it was arguably the worst time to lose his cool.

Winner: WR Skyler Bell

Skyler Bell made his much-anticipated debut on Thursday and had one reception for 16 yards on the opening drive, but it could have been much more. Early in the drive, Bell ran a perfect route and was wide-open, but Shane Buechele overthrew the wideout. Had the pass been on the mark, Bell would have been able to turn upfield for a massive gain.

Bell continued to shine as a receiver, hauling in seven receptions for 47 yards, His big play, however, came on the ground as Bell took a handoff and turned it into a 28-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Buffalo is deep at the receiver position, but Bell will make it difficult to keep him off the field if he continues to play at this level.

Winner: WR Dante Pettis

Buffalo won this game thanks to a late drive, and Dante Pettis led the way. The veteran wideout made his first catch of the night for 16 yards on third-and-14, moving the ball inside the 50 in the process. He drew a pass interference on the following play, which went for 40 yards. As if that wasn't enough, Pettis then caught a two-point conversion following Ian Wheeler's touchdown, giving his team the win, allowing them to finish the preseason 3-0.

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