Game Recap: Steelers Win @ Denver; Move to 2-0
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense was absolutely DOMINANT in a convincing 13-6 win against the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon. That win, paired with losses from the Bengals and Ravens, puts the Steelers two games ahead of the two powerhouses in the AFC North. The Browns were able to secure a win in Jacksonville, and they sit in second place with a 1-1 record. I ain’t worried about them, though.
Justin Fields is now 2-0 as the Steelers starting quarterback, which, obviously, makes things complicated for Russell Wilson, who’s still nursing a calf injury. However, it’s not just that the Steelers are winning games with Justin Fields as the starter; the offense also looks damn good at times. His ability to make plays with his legs has been crucial to our offense’s ability to stay ahead of the chains. Also, his arm talent was on full display in Denver. He had a beautiful throw, rolling to his left and hitting Freiermuth on the sideline for a 14 yard gain. It’s not a HUGE play, but the degree of difficulty of the throw was very high, and the ball placement on that throw was impeccable. A couple plays later, he threw an absolutely beautiful back shoulder pass to BIG Darnell Washington, giving the tight end his first TD reception of his career, and Justin Fields’ first regular season TD pass as the Steelers’ QB.
Fields’ numbers won’t jump out of the box score at you. Penalties continue to be a big issue for this offense, which is probably the biggest reason this offense isn’t scoring points. George Pickens had a freaky athletic touchdown reception called back because of a penalty. That somehow wasn’t as painful as the 51 yard throw to Pickens that was called back because of a hold on Broderick Jones. Justin Fields threw the prettiest deep ball we’ve seen in YEARS from a Steelers QB, while on the run, and dropped it RIGHT in the bread basket for Pickens on that play. The number of plays that were negated by penalties is JARRING, and needs to be fixed, but we have seen flashes of a damn good offense in these first two games.
Broderick Jones was pulled from the game after he was called for THREE penalties in one drive, obviously murdering our momentum. The idea that you were going to operate on some kind of rotation at the tackle position was dumb to begin with, and Jones, quite frankly, just doesn’t need to be on the football field right now. Coach Tomlin insinuated today that Jones will still get some snaps, but it’s really hard to justify that decision in my opinion, because he really hasn’t shown us a damn thing to suggest he’s ready to go over the last month. Dan Moore Jr. and Troy Fautanu figure to take the majority of the reps at the two tackle spots. Speaking of Fautanu, I’m going to address his first regular season action as a Steeler in a separate post, but he played a great, clean game, to sum it up quickly.
To wrap things up about the offense: they really fell apart in the second half of that game, again, mostly due to penalties. Arthur Smith has really lived up to his reputation for running the football, especially on early downs. Jaylen Warren saw the field a LOT more than he did in week one, and he made the most of those reps, taking nine carries for an average of 4.7 yards, and adding a couple of receptions. So far this season, the run concepts have been mostly pretty basic, but I feel like a lot of that has to do with the offense being unable to maintain momentum. I expect that to change, but in order for that to happen…ya know, penalties gotta stop.
The Steelers’ defense is the highest paid in the league, and so far, that money looks to be justified. The Broncos had 0 points entering the fourth quarter, and the lack of production from the Steelers’ offense in the second half is really the only reason the Broncos were able to score at all.
DeShon Elliot is quickly becoming a fan favorite on our defense, and rightfully so. He’s just always where he needs to be, and he’s been that consistent compliment to Minkah Fitzpatrick that we’ve been missing at the safety spot. He had a MEAN tackle for loss on a run play at the beginning of the third quarter, his best play of the day in my opinion. Donte Jackson has played some great football, as well.
Believe it or not, Joey Porter Jr. was probably the biggest liability on the defense against the Broncos, but not necessarily because he was getting burned. He was just a bit too grabby on a few occasions. Don’t get me wrong, he’s one of the best corners in the league, in my opinion. However, I fear penalties will be an issue for him throughout his career. Are ya sick of the word ‘penalty’ yet?
BIG TIME CONGRATULATIONS to Cory Trice Jr., who secured his first career interception in the end zone, preventing a Broncos touchdown. If yinz have been reading my content or following me on twitter/x over the last two seasons, then you know how excited I’ve been about finally getting to see him play, and seeing it come to fruition the way it has is really special. I’m thrilled for him as a man and a person, but his development as a player has been really amazing, too. He has made the most out of every opportunity he’s gotten. That is probably going to be my next jersey.
There’s really not much else to talk about with the defense, to be honest. Every single position group was rock solid. Kirk Cousins’ performance on Monday Night Football against the Eagles also made me feel really great about what our defense was able to do to him last week. I genuinely believe this defense is top five in the NFL, and this Sunday’s matchup against the Chargers will be a significant test for them to prove me right.
I’m going to dive into some All-22 and focus on Troy Fautanu’s performance, and then we’re on to the home opener against the Jim Harbaugh Chargers.
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