The Steelers improved that report to 25-6 as they harassed Denver rookie Bo Nix all through this sport. Nix, Denver’s first-round decide 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 break up out vast 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 on at their very own 1, however two holding penalties on Broderick Jones, who had entered the sport firstly of the second quarter at proper deal with rather than rookie Troy Fautanu, killed the drive. Fautanu, the Steelers’ prime decide 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 linked 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 rather than Jones, however the Steelers have been pressured to punt.
“You get holding penalties, you are going to shut drives down,” mentioned Tomlin, noting the Steelers have been extremely penalized with 10 within the sport. Denver had 9.
“Significantly at this state of improvement. We simply haven’t got sufficient cohesion to beat these kind of long-yardage circumstances. Actually, not lots of people do. In September, you get a holding penalty, it will shut a drive down. We have to play cleaner.”
The Broncos had their finest 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 cross 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 cross interference penalty on Jefferson.
The Steelers have been pressured to accept a 22-yard Chris Boswell discipline aim 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 vast receiver Courtland Sutton, who then tossed the ball again to Nix, who had aligned vast within the formation.
Nix then threw a 50-yard cross 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 tip zone on a cross meant for Sutton by Corey Trice, his first profession interception, to finish the menace.
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 aim, his fourth 50-plus-yard discipline aim 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 cross to Reynolds, however a Nix third-down cross was knocked down by Isaiahh Loudermilk. Denver took a 35-yard discipline aim from Will Lutz with 10:42 remaining within the sport to keep away from the shutout however solely reduce the Steelers’ result in 13-3.
The Broncos drove for an additional discipline aim, this one from 29 yards by Lutz with slightly below two minutes remaining, to chop the result in 13-7.
However the Steelers ran the clock all the way 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 begin the season with two street video games and be 2-0 is a fairly good feeling,” mentioned Tomlin. “