If last week's performance was the opening act for the Steelers defense, Sunday's effort against the Denver Broncos was a command performance. The Steelers shut the Broncos out for more than three quarters with a smothering defensive effort, while the offense generated 141 yards on the ground in a 13-6 victory that wasn't as close as the final score might indicate here at Empower Field at Mile High.
The win gave the Steelers their first 2-0 start since 2020. Even more importantly, both of those games came on the road, as the team heads into its home opener next Sunday against the Chargers at Acrisure Stadium.
"To go 2-0 in your first two games on the road, I'll take it," said Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who recorded his second sack of the season in the game.
Justin Fields made his second start of the season in place of an injured Russell Wilson. The Steelers didn't ask him to do much in the game knowing they entered the game with a 24-6 record against rookie quarterbacks under head coach Mike Tomlin. Fields completed 13 of his 20 passes for 117 yards and also rushed for 27 yards and a 97.3 passer rating.
The Steelers improved that record to 25-6 as they harassed Denver rookie Bo Nix throughout this game. Nix, Denver's first-round pick this year, completed 20-of-35 passes for 246 yards with two interceptions. After kicking six field goals in an 18-10 win over the Falcons last week, the Steelers scored their first touchdown of the season on their second possession of the game, marching 73 yards on 12 plays.
The Steelers had another promising drive on their third possession after taking over at their own 1, but two holding penalties on Broderick Jones, who had entered the game at the start of the second quarter at right tackle in place of rookie Troy Fautanu, killed the drive. Fautanu, the Steelers' top pick in this year's draft, made his first career start.
The second of the two penalties was the most damaging, as Fields had rolled to his from midfield and connected with George Pickens for a gain to the Denver 6, only to have the play negated by the infraction.
After the second holding penalty, Fautanu was inserted back into the lineup in place of Jones, but the Steelers were forced to punt.
"You get holding penalties, you're going to shut drives down," said Tomlin, noting the Steelers were highly penalized with 10 in the game. Denver had nine.
"Particularly at this state of development. We just don't have enough cohesion to overcome those type of long-yardage circumstances. Really, not a lot of people do. In September, you get a holding penalty, it's going to shut a drive down. We've got to play cleaner."
The Broncos had their best drive of the first half on their next possession, moving the ball to the Pittsburgh 39 with just over two minutes remaining in the half. But on fourth-and-7, rookie quarterback Bo Nix was pressured into an incompletion turning the ball over on downs. Denver managed just three first downs and 62 yards of offense in the first two quarters.
The Steelers, with the help of a 21-yard pass interference penalty drawn against Riley Moss on Van Jefferson, advanced to the Denver 6 with 21 seconds remaining in the half, but a touchdown catch by Pickens was negated by an offensive pass interference penalty on Jefferson.
The Steelers were forced to settle for a 22-yard Chris Boswell field goal and a 10-0 lead.
The Broncos used a trick play on their second possession of the second half to nearly double their offensive output for the game and get into scoring range for the first time.
Running out of a Wildcat formation, the Broncos had running back Javonte Williams take the snap. He handed off to wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who then tossed the ball back to Nix, who had aligned wide in the formation.
Nix then threw a 50-yard pass to receiver Josh Reynolds for a 50-yard gain between safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott and cornerback Donte Jackson to the Pittsburgh 6.
But two plays later, Nix was intercepted in the back of the end zone on a pass intended for Sutton by Corey Trice, his first career interception, to end the threat.
Taking over at their own 20 after the turnover, the Steelers came out aggressive and Fields tossed a bomb down the sideline for Pickens. Pickens drew an interference penalty on Patrick Surtain II of 37 yards to put the ball at the Denver 43.
That led to a 53-yard Boswell field goal, his fourth 50-plus-yard field goal of the season, and a 13-0 Pittsburgh lead with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter.
The Broncos drove inside the Steelers' 20 on their next possession, including converting a fourth-and-6 from the Pittsburgh 42 with a 22-yard pass to Reynolds, but a Nix third-down pass was knocked down by Isaiahh Loudermilk. Denver took a 35-yard field goal from Will Lutz with 10:42 remaining in the game to avoid the shutout but only cut the Steelers' lead to 13-3.
The Broncos drove for another field goal, this one from 29 yards by Lutz with just under two minutes remaining, to cut the lead to 13-7.
But the Steelers ran the clock down to 18 seconds before punting the ball back to Denver, which had used all of its timeouts, with 9 seconds remaining at its own 19-yard line.
Damontae Kazee intercepted Nix to end the game.
"To start the season with two road games and be 2-0 is a pretty good feeling," said Tomlin.
Steelers' Defense Dominates
The Steelers' defense was dominant throughout the game. They recorded two interceptions and held the Broncos to just three first downs in the first two quarters. The Broncos only managed to score six points in the entire game, all of which came in the fourth quarter. The Steelers' defense is now ranked first in the NFL in points allowed per game (3.0) and second in yards allowed per game (157.5).
Steelers' Running Game Carries the Load
The Steelers' running game was also impressive. They gained 141 yards on the ground and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. Najee Harris led the way with 63 yards on 17 carries. The Steelers' rushing offense is now ranked ninth in the NFL in yards per game (137.5).
A Look Ahead
The Steelers will return home next week to face the Chargers. The Chargers are coming off of a 27-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. The Steelers will be looking to continue their winning ways and improve to 3-0 on the season. The Chargers pose a formidable challenge, and the Steelers will need to continue their strong defensive performance and be able to establish their rushing attack to have a chance in the game.
