The Pittsburgh Steelers won the opening coin toss and delayed the game, allowing Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos to take the field.
Denver came into the game with the ball but managed zero yards on two runs. Nix completed a pass to Greg Dulcich on third-and-10, but he was three yards short of a quick three-and-out. Pittsburgh also started the game with a three-and-out of its own, so the predicted offensive issues for both teams seemed to be on track for Week 2.
Nix completed a pass on the first attempt and faced a third and short one play later, but Nix took a sack for another three yards and was out. Eight total yards and two punts for Denver on their first two drives. Not a great start.
Justin Fields and the Steelers offense picked up their first first down on their next drive. He then escaped a near sack by Jonathon Cooper and ran 16 yards into Broncos territory. They continued to move the chains and it wasn’t long before Pittsburgh reached the red zone. A roll-out by Fields and a pass to Pat Freiermuth got them to the five-yard line.
The Steelers have already taken 55 rushing yards from the Broncos defense in the first quarter.
They average 5.5 yards per game and Justin Fields has 24 rushing yards.
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) 15 September 2024
Rookie edge rusher Jonah Elliss made his first career sack on the first attempt. After recovering those yards on a second attempt, Fields and the Steelers faced a third attempt. Fields threw a perfect pass into the end zone to give the Steelers an early lead that capped a 12-play, 78-yard run.
Steelers 7, Broncos 0.
On their third possession, Nix made two short completions to set up a third-and-3 attempt. The quarter ended with a true first down for the Broncos offense on a seven-yard pass to Javonte Williams.
