Despite some issues in the second half, the Pittsburgh Steelers managed to beat the Denver Broncos in their Week 2 matchup at Heinz Field. The Sunday afternoon game was defined by injuries for the Broncos and a few key players for Pittsburgh.
In the first half of Pittsburgh’s Week 2 game against the Broncos, the Steelers were dominant on both sides of the field.
About halfway through the first quarter, outside linebacker Bud Dupree knocked the ball away from quarterback Drew Lock, giving safety Mike Hilton time to recover the fumble. This play set up a two-yard rushing touchdown for running back James Conner.
This was soon followed by a pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to Chase Claypool for a 84-yard reception for a touchdown.
As the two-minute warning approached, safety Joe Haden intercepted Jeff Driskel on a pass originally intended for Courtland Sutton.
In the first half, the Pittsburgh defense totaled five sacks and 11 quarterback hits.
Part of Pittsburgh’s productivity came as a result of several injured Broncos.
Lock went down hard in the first quarter with a right shoulder injury. He remained out for the rest of the game. He was replaced by Jeff Driskel, who finished the day with 256 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Among the other injured players for the Broncos were Sutton (knee) and defensive end DeMarcus Walker (calf). Rookie wide receiver Jerry Jeudy left the game for a while with a rib injury, but eventually returned.
While the first half was relatively smooth sailing for Pittsburgh, there were some problems in the second half.
First, Roethlisberger threw his first and only interception of the day. The pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster was instead caught by Justin Simmons.
Penalties were also a factor for the Steelers in the second half. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick accounted for two while Terrell Edmunds was called for a big pass interference late in the fourth quarter.
With roughly nine minutes left in the game, running back Benny Snell Jr. fumbled the ball, leading to a touchdown for Denver.
“We were far from perfect today,” head coach Mike Tomlin said in a post-game press conference. “We were thankful to win today in spite of it and we understand that there’s going to be some growth at the early stages of this thing, and we better make some plays to win along the way.”
Offensive players accounted for most of Pittsburgh’s key plays of the game on Sunday.
Claypool, the rookie out of Notre Dame, caught his first NFL touchdown with an 84-yard touchdown reception about halfway through the second quarter. This marked the longest scrimmage touchdown by a Canadian-born player in league history.
Wide receiver Diontae Johnson also had a productive day on Sunday. He totaled 8 receptions for 92 yards and one touchdown. Johnson displayed a strong ability to stay on his feet and scramble for yards throughout the game.
Defensively, Haden was among Sunday’s leaders. The defensive back caught an interception and managed to run it back for 24-yards.
With the help of these key players, the Steelers managed to beat the Denver Broncos by a score of 26-21.
Featured Image Courtesy of TribLIVE.com
You can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Paige!
“From Our Haus to Yours“
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
