According to 93.7 The Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos will play in Denver Week 2, marking Russell Wilson’s return to the city where he played the last two seasons.
It’s a game that’s been highly anticipated since Wilson signed with the Steelers, and he’ll take on a Broncos team that just drafted Bo Nix to play quarterback. Denver’s defense also has Patrick Surtain II, one of the best cornerbacks in football and someone who will likely cover George Pickens when the two meet.
It also means the Steelers will open with back-to-back road games, as they’ll reportedly open against the Falcons in Atlanta Week 1 and then have to fly to Denver for their Week 2 matchup. Wilson likely won’t be greeted favorably by the Denver crowd, as the Broncos struggled during his tenure after giving up a haul to acquire him and giving him a mega-extension. The team is still paying most of his salary this season too, as the Steelers are paying Wilson just $1.2 million.
Pittsburgh and Denver haven’t played since the 2021 season, when the Broncos came to then-Heinz Field and lost, 27-19. Chase Claypool was Pittsburgh’s leading receiver that day, as he pulled in five catches for 130 yards and a touchdown, so yeah, it’s been a long time since the two teams have met. It adds an extra layer to the drama given that it’s going to be Wilson’s return. Wilson never really meshed with Sean Payton last season in Denver, and it’s going to be fun to watch Wilson work against Nix, someone Payton reportedly fell in love with during the pre-draft process and whom Denver took in the first round.
It’s a game that, even on the road, the Steelers should win. They’re the more talented team, but it’ll be interesting to see if the Denver crowd will make an impact and if all the talk about a “revenge game” leads Wilson and the Steelers to struggle. It’s one of the more fascinating games on the NFL slate due to it being Wilson’s return, even if on paper it’s not all that close or interesting of a contest. But there’s no doubt that it’s going to be a fun one to watch.
