In a sloppy, gritty, penalty-filled affair in the Mile High City, the Steelers should consider themselves lucky to have escaped with a 13-6 win against the Broncos.
It wasn’t the Russell Wilson revenge game we all had circled on our calendars, as he was hampered by that calf injury and was declared the emergency third quarterback for the second straight week. Justin Fields, meanwhile, started once again for the Steelers, and while he didn’t have the flashy plays or the gaudy stat line, he did walk out with a win, and his team now 2-0.
Let’s get into my thoughts on this game:
1: Steelers Were Lucky It Was Denver
I don’t mean this as disrespect to Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos, who I think have some great potential, but the Steelers were incredibly lucky that it was only the Broncos and Nix, as currently constructed, that they were playing today.
After a first half that saw Pittsburgh put up 10 points and have some really effective drives, their offense completely crumbled in the second half, with a Chris Boswell field goal being their only bright spot.
Sure, their defense stood tall once again, and yes it’s still early in a new offense with a lot of moving pieces, but this is not the type of game that you want to see the Steelers play moving forward. A team of higher skill and experience would have been able to eventually take advantage of the many, many chances that Pittsburgh was giving their opponents.
2: Discipline, Discipline, Discipline
This game was filled with penalties galore. Pittsburgh took 10 penalties for 78 yards, and Denver took 9 for 124 yards.
Denver’s penalties, including a few costly pass interference flags, had their problems for the Broncos. But Pittsburgh’s were incredibly crucial, and took points off the board in a game where scoring was at a premium.
Broderick Jones was of particular importance today in the penalty department. His three infractions on a single drive negated what might be the prettiest pass of the season from Fields to George Pickens.
Pittsburgh’s 10 penalties was their highest total since Week 9 of last season against the Tennessee Titans. Ironically, the Steelers also won that game and did so in very similar fashion. However, they have to clean up the penalties, it was far too sloppy today.
3: Justin Fields’ Stats Should Look So Much Better
Fields ended his day going 13/20 for 117 yards, 1 touchdown, and no turnovers in Pittsburgh’s win. It’s a stat line that is incredibly underwhelming, but also misleading.
Some of Fields’ best plays on the day were negated by penalties on the offense, including the aforementioned Jones holding call that took away that beautiful 51-yard ball to Pickens, and an iffy offensive pass interference penalty on Van Jefferson in the endzone, which also wiped a pass to Pickens that would have went as a touchdown.
Fields also had a sharp pass to Jefferson down the sideline, which did draw a defensive pass interference penalty, but undercuts a completion and serious yardage that Fields should get credit for.
It’s another one of those games that you really had to sit down and watch to get the true impression of what Fields is doing with the Arthur Smith offense, because the box score is not telling you even close to the full story.
Not to mention, he still walked away with the win, making the Steelers 2-0.
4: I Love DeShon Elliott
When you talk about the additions that the Steelers made in the offseason, someone like DeShon Elliott didn’t quite have the name recognition and value to be near the top of the list.
However, Elliott has been an outstanding addition to the defense here in Pittsburgh. The ex-Dolphin had 5 tackles and 2 assisted ones in today’s action, and blew up a running play on third down in the third quarter.
This was a huge play in this game that Elliott read perfectly and was able to execute just as well, taking Javonte Williams down for a 4-yard loss and forced Denver to punt it away.
I think Elliott is going to continue to be a big part of this defensive unit and make explosive plays like this. He’s a name to watch as the season progresses for sure.
5: Despite Not Playing, Steelers Took The Russ Revenge Game To Heart
Look, I know that someone swallowing their pride and being a good teammate, even when they are in a situation that they don’t want to be in, is something to be expected.
But how many times do we see the exact opposite happen in the wide world of sports?
I’m sure Wilson would have loved to get revenge on the team that was willing enough to spend almost $40 million to make him go away, but in the end his calf was still too much of a concern, and Fields had proven himself to be a reliable option to go at quarterback.
Despite that, Wilson was openly supportive and cheering on his team from the sidelines – headset and all – while the Steelers pulled out the win. You could often see Wilson celebrate his teammates when they made a big play near the sideline.
His teammates also had his back, giving him a “petty game ball” for facing his former team, and Fields said it was awesome to get the win for Russ. To his credit, Fields looks lile a really good teammate for his quote about avenging Russ against the Broncos.
Even though their is much more fluidity (for now, anyways) at the quarterback position, the QB room seems to be a much more tightly knit group than last year.
Fifth Avenue Sports 
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