Steelers defeat Broncos, 13-6

The Steelers improved that file to 25-6 as they harassed Denver rookie Bo Nix all through this recreation. Nix, Denver’s first-round choose this 12 months, accomplished 20-of-35 passes for 246 yards with two interceptions. After kicking six discipline objectives in an 18-10 win over the Falcons final week, the Steelers scored their first landing of the season on their second possession of the sport, marching 73 yards on 12 performs.

Fields completed off the drive with a 5-yard landing toss to second-year tight finish Darnell Washington. It was the primary profession landing catch for Washington, who was cut up out huge within the formation on the play, and gave the Steelers a 7-0 lead.

The Steelers had one other promising drive on their third possession after taking up at their very own 1, however two holding penalties on Broderick Jones, who had entered the sport at the beginning of the second quarter at proper sort out instead of rookie Troy Fautanu, killed the drive. Fautanu, the Steelers’ high choose on this 12 months’s draft, made his first profession begin.

The second of the 2 penalties was essentially the most damaging, as Fields had rolled to his from midfield and related with George Pickens for a acquire to the Denver 6, solely to have the play negated by the infraction.

After the second holding penalty, Fautanu was inserted again into the lineup instead of Jones, however the Steelers had been pressured to punt.

“You get holding penalties, you are going to shut drives down,” mentioned Tomlin, noting the Steelers had been extremely penalized with 10 within the recreation. Denver had 9.

“Significantly at this state of growth. We simply do not have sufficient cohesion to beat these sort of long-yardage circumstances. Actually, not lots of people do. In September, you get a holding penalty, it is going to shut a drive down. We have to play cleaner.”

The Broncos had their greatest drive of the primary half on their subsequent possession, transferring the ball to the Pittsburgh 39 with simply over two minutes remaining within the half. However on fourth-and-7, rookie quarterback Bo Nix was pressured into an incompletion turning the ball over on downs. Denver managed simply three first downs and 62 yards of offense within the first two quarters.

The Steelers, with the assistance of a 21-yard move interference penalty drawn towards Riley Moss on Van Jefferson, superior to the Denver 6 with 21 seconds remaining within the half, however a landing catch by Pickens was negated by an offensive move interference penalty on Jefferson.

The Steelers had been pressured to accept a 22-yard Chris Boswell discipline objective and a 10-0 lead.

The Broncos used a trick play on their second possession of the second half to almost double their offensive output for the sport and get into scoring vary for the primary time.

Working out of a Wildcat formation, the Broncos had working again Javonte Williams take the snap. He handed off to huge receiver Courtland Sutton, who then tossed the ball again to Nix, who had aligned huge within the formation.

Nix then threw a 50-yard move to receiver Josh Reynolds for a 50-yard acquire between safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott and cornerback Donte Jackson to the Pittsburgh 6.

However two performs later, Nix was intercepted behind the top zone on a move meant for Sutton by Corey Trice, his first profession interception, to finish the risk.

Taking on at their very own 20 after the turnover, the Steelers got here 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 place the ball on the Denver 43.

That led to a 53-yard Boswell discipline objective, his fourth 50-plus-yard discipline objective of the season, and a 13-0 Pittsburgh lead with 4:16 remaining within the third quarter.

The Broncos drove contained in the Steelers’ 20 on their subsequent possession, together with changing a fourth-and-6 from the Pittsburgh 42 with a 22-yard move to Reynolds, however a Nix third-down move was knocked down by Isaiahh Loudermilk. Denver took a 35-yard discipline objective from Will Lutz with 10:42 remaining within the recreation to keep away from the shutout however solely lower the Steelers’ result in 13-3.

The Broncos drove for one more discipline objective, this one from 29 yards by Lutz with just below two minutes remaining, to chop the result in 13-7.

However the Steelers ran the clock right down to 18 seconds earlier than punting the ball again to Denver, which had used all of its timeouts, with 9 seconds remaining at its personal 19-yard line.

Damontae Kazee intercepted Nix to finish the sport.

“To start out the season with two street video games and be 2-0 is a reasonably good feeling,” mentioned Tomlin. “