The Broncos defense did what it could to keep the team within striking distance. Through three quarters, Pittsburgh was averaging 4.2 yards per carry and Justin Fields had 117 passing yards. The Steelers mounted one long touchdown drive in the first half and their two field goals after that came after a turnover on downs and Nix’s interception in the second and third quarters, respectively. The Broncos didn’t take the ball away early in the game and Pat Surtain II had a rough day at the office — three penalties and got beat a couple of times by George Pickens. Overall, though, this group did more than enough to win.
SPECIAL TEAMS — B
This group has been Denver’s best so far. They haven’t generated a ton in the return game yet — not many have with the NFL’s dynamic kickoff rule so far a dynamic dud — but the coverage units have been really good. Justin Strnad helped down a punt at the 1-yard line and Riley Dixon averaged 52.3 yards per punt. On a rough offensive day, the unit did its job to continually force Pittsburgh to drive the length of the field rather than letting the field position battle tilt too far.