The offense finally found its rhythm, the defense did just enough to protect a big lead and the Steelers halted a three-game losing streak at Heinz Field with a 27-19 win Sunday against the Broncos. They’d lost three in a row this season and three straight at Heinz Field, dating to last season’s playoff loss.
Denver came in 3-1, polar opposite of the Steelers’ dreary 1-3 mark, but it quickly became clear the Broncos built their record by beating bad teams. And the Steelers, to their credit, bent but didn’t break enough, beating a visiting squad that looked like their worst opponent to date after facing four foes who combined to start the season 12-4.
Ben Roethlisberger rebounded with what was his best game of 2021 so far, throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns on 15-of-25 passing. He did lose a fumble and had a few near-interceptions, but he hit his targets when needed, a big reason why the Steelers converted 7 of 12 third-down attempts. And, thank goodness, we didn’t have to witness yet another fourth-down try.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and the Broncos ground game were mostly held in check until the fourth quarter. The Steelers introduced a new-look third-down dime defensive package in which all three of its top pass-rushers — T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Melvin Ingram — joined stud defensive lineman Cam Heyward to form the four-man front. Flooding the field with talent on the line and six defensive backs in the secondary helped limit the Broncos to just 2 of 12 on third down.
It was over when: The defense bowed up and finally responded positively to “Renegade” blaring from the jumbotron. With the crowd exhorting them, a Steelers team desperately in need of a win nearly blew it in the final moments, but cornerback James Pierre picked off Bridgewater in the end zone with 11 seconds left on 4th-and-3. It was Bridgewater’s first interception of the season.
Player of the game: Najee Harris chewed up the league’s No. 1-ranked run defense and spit out his first 100-yard rushing performance as a pro. Harris went through, around, even up and over defenders en route to 122 yards on the ground, including a 1-yard touchdown plunge for which he skied over the defensive line. He also added two catches for 20 yards, but the story for him in this one was hitting the century mark, a first for the Steelers since James Conner did it in Week 6 last year. Harris could’ve had even more if he didn’t cramp up in the fourth quarter. Benny Snell handled every carry in the final nine minutes. Also an honorable mention for Chase Claypool, who returned after missing one game with a hamstring injury and caught five passes for 130 yards and a score.
Trending up: The offense, overall. That opening drive was a great example of how the coaches can script a fantastic start, and the players can execute it to perfection. It had something for just about everyone doubting this group. Shifts and motion. Back-to-back runs to start the possession, gaining 6 and 3 yards. A jet sweep to JuJu Smith-Schuster (before his shoulder injury.) Then another picturesque deep ball from Roethlisberger to Diontae Johnson, with about the only difference from last week’s first touchdown at Green Bay being 50 as opposed to 45 yards right on the money. The second drive was almost an exact redux, at least on the first series, until Roethlisberger’s sack-fumble. Even No. 3 tight end Zach Gentry looked spry on a screen late in the first quarter. And it all continued throughout, offensive line, quarterback, running back and receivers working in concert to the tune of an easy win.
Trending down: Backup running backs. Remember that old Budweiser commercial, where the star of the team talks to reporters and smoothly states, “Leon can’t do everything”? Well, Najee Harris can, but he shouldn’t have to. Problem is, there’s a huge dropoff when the Steelers put either of their reserves into the game. Kalen Ballage rushed four times for zero yards, which is hard to do. Benny Snell dropped his only target, just like last week, in addition to committing a holding penalty on the game’s opening kickoff return. Second-year speedster Anthony McFarland began practicing last week and must be activated from injured reserve within 21 days, so it looks like someone might be in danger of losing a spot in this backfield.
Next up: The Seattle Seahawks, who get a long week to prepare after losing to the Rams on Thursday Night Football. But 10 days won’t be nearly enough time for Pete Carroll’s team to get star quarterback Russell Wilson back. He’ll miss an extended period with a finger injury on his throwing hand, so former West Virginia standout Geno Smith will start on Sunday Night Football at Heinz Field for the slow-starting 2-3 Seahawks.
