Winners and losers of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 13-6 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon.
WINNER
Quarterback Justin Fields
After a full week as the Steelers’ starter, the offense opened up and Fields looked more confident. Although the third quarter was slow, Fields made big plays overall. His best throw of the day ultimately didn’t count, a 51-yard pass to George Pickens that was perfectly placed down the right sideline against CB Patrick Surtain II. Pickens couldn’t have played that pass any better and it will be one of the best throws of the 2024 season.
He showed great positioning on his only touchdown to Darnell Washington, perfectly placing an over-the-shoulder throw that was impossible for Denver to stop. Washington made a fantastic catch with his hands.
Fields’ best quality has been his overall accuracy, and his body clock has sped up, allowing him to take fewer sacks and less negativity. He and the offense have also been cleaner procedurally, although there was another snap he wasn’t prepared for that could have been a catastrophic turnover.
EDGE TJ Watt/Alex Highsmith
Pittsburgh’s EDGE rushers were once again effective. Watt and Highsmith each recorded a sack, while Watt drew a hold in the run game and Watt had a tackle for loss. They remain the strength of a well-staffed defense and proved their impact once again. They finished their day with colorful play reports and were responsible for a majority of Denver’s penalties.
SS DeShon Elliott
Simply put, DeShon Elliott is built for AFC North ball. He’s a wrecking ball, a strong safety, and a great fit in Pittsburgh’s defense. His biggest play was when he filled a gap on a 3rd-and-1 stop, and he was also tight in coverage, forcing two incomplete passes, including a downfield throw on a 7 route. Two really strong games for Elliott as a key offseason addition.
CB Cory Trice Jr.
Trice with a pivotal moment for his first career interception. Great read and completion on a Nix throw in the back of the end zone, points deducted after Denver threw a 49-yard pass after a trick play. Pittsburgh’s defense was so successful last season despite injuries, largely due to their outstanding red zone play and ability to force turnovers. Trice was big again, two plays after replacing the temporarily injured Donte Jackson. That’s the next man up.
C Zach Frazier
We’ll have to acknowledge the All-22, but it looked like a strong game for Frazier. In a tougher away situation this week than last, Frazier got people moving in the run game and opened up several gaps for RB Najee Harris and Co. Hopefully the coaches are filming the plays, but Frazier was steady and effective under the middle.
WR Ben Skowronek
It’s not exactly sexy, but after wide receiver Scotty Miller did all the little things in last week’s win, Skoronek had an impact on special teams this week. He was active as a gunner as usual, but he drew two flags and earned his reputation with another in the fourth quarter, helping to keep the returner lateral while Payton Wilson and Tyler Matakevich cleaned things up. He finished the game with a great tackle on the game’s final punt.
He saw some offensive reps in Pittsburgh’s 12 personnel, taking some opportunities out of play-action, a sign he could become a permanent fixture on the 53-man roster next week. But he seemed to win his reps as a shooter, creating hidden yards in the form of Denver flags.
LOSER
OT Broderick Jones
Sometimes I wonder which Steelers players will end up on the loser’s list. If I have any obvious candidates, that wasn’t an issue today. Jones was supposed to be part of a right tackle rotation with rookie Troy Fautanu and entered the game on the third series. But he was penalized three times, including for breaking up a 51-yard pass to Pickens, and was hauled off in the middle of the drive.
Even aside from the penalties, Jones missed a second-level block on a promising gap run and was beaten at the rim on a third-and-long. It’s very possible that rotation — a terrible idea anyway — is over now that Fautanu is a full-time right tackle. Pittsburgh has done little to encourage Jones’ development, but he’s not exactly giving them more reasons to play him, either.
ILB Patrick Queen/CB Beanie Bishop
Queen didn’t have a great first week and while he didn’t look as sloppy this week in terms of missed tackles, he still didn’t seem to be at his best today. Queen seemed to overrun plays and had trouble playing inside-out. He also dropped an interception on fourth down which was still a good play and honestly may have cost Pittsburgh a yard or two, but it would have been nice to finish it off.
Not a bad game by Queen, but I thought this one was stronger. I don’t think I’d give him credit for the fourth down conversion allowed, but I’ll have to look at the All-22 on that.
Bishop could have said similar things about his angles against the run and RPO/short passing game. He made a nice open-field stop on QB Bo Nix to force a fourth down, but allowed a long catch-and-run by WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey late in the fourth quarter. An uneven day at best.
CB Joey Porter Jr.
Porter’s day started out well for the Steelers. But his biggest problem is still his biggest problem: penalties. While his yellow gloves don’t help, he has to pay serious attention to the colors. It doesn’t matter what he has on his hands when he tugs on WR Courtland Sutton’s jersey so hard that it nearly rips in half. He was penalized three times in this game, including two penalties in the fourth quarter.
Overall, it was a sloppy game for the Steelers. They just got too many penalties, which allowed Denver to keep up. Pittsburgh doesn’t know how to shut teams down.
Attack in the second half
Going back to the point above, the Steelers’ positive plays in the first half were nowhere to be found. The running game wasn’t as crisp, penalties continued to be a problem, Fields and the offense were more erratic, and the results just weren’t there.
Only three points and minimal yards for this unit. So far it’s been enough for the win, but 13-18 points is not a long-term recipe for success. Obviously.
