The Week 2 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos in the Mile High City was supposed to be a revenge game for quarterback Russell Wilson. That won’t be the case on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. though as Wilson is likely going to miss the game due to a calf injury that kept him out of the early portion of training camp, and caused him to miss the Week 1 win over Atlanta.
While it’s a bit disappointing that Wilson won’t get a chance to stick it to the Broncos Sunday in Denver, there are plenty of other key matchups worth watching in the battle at Empower Field in Mile High on both sides of the ball.
There will be games within the game to watch, like the turnover battle, tackling battle and more. Make sure to keep an eye on key individual matchups, though. There are plenty of them this week top to bottom in all three phases for the Steelers against the Broncos.
Below are my four key matchups to watch on Sunday afternoon.
STEELERS OLB ALEX HIGHSMITH VS. BRONCOS LT GARETT BOLLES
While T.J. Watt will generate much of the attention from the Broncos’ offense on the other side of the Steelers’ defensive formation, Alex Highsmith is a game-wrecker in his own right. He’ll be going up against a stout left tackle in Denver’s Garett Bolles on Sunday, who is battling through an ankle injury that caused him to miss practice Wednesday, before he was limited Thursday and practiced in full on Friday.
We’ll see if that ankle injury limits him at all on Sunday. Playing on a possible bad ankle against a great pass rusher like Highsmith is not an easy task.
Though he was relatively quiet in Week 1 against Atlanta with just one pressure, two tackles and a batted pass, Highsmith is a real problem for opposing offenses. The last time he faced off against Bolles and the Broncos, though Highsmith didn’t generate a pressure in 2021 and had one of his worst games as a pro.
That can’t happen this week. Highsmith is a much better player than he was in 2021, and has an impressive pass rush arsenal to throw at Bolles and the Broncos to try and get after rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
STEELERS WR GEORGE PICKENS VS. BRONCOS CB PATRICK SURTAIN II
This is a matchup that both players are quite familiar with the other as Steelers’ wide receiver George Pickens and Broncos’ cornerback Patrick Surtain II had some battles back in college as part of the Georgia-Alabama rivalry. Now, they’ll get a chance to match up against each other on Sunday for the first time in the NFL.
Pickens is coming off of a solid game against the Falcons in Week 1, hauling in six passes for 85 yards, including two 30+ yard receptions, while Surtain struggled a bit against the Seahawks, allowing four receptions on five targets in the 26-20 loss to Seattle. Now though, he gets a chance to bounce back at home against a familiar face.
Surtain stated earlier in the week that he expects to follow Pickens throughout the game, so these two will be locked up against each other throughout the game. It’ll be a big test for Pickens early as the true No. 1 WR for the Steelers. He’s going to have to win downfield a few times to help the Steelers’ conservative offense make some noise against Denver.
If not, Surtain could be the key to a Broncos upset in the end if he can put the clamps on Pickens.
BRONCOS OLB JONATHON COOPER VS. STEELERS RT TROY FAUTANU
Now that he’s fully healthy, it appears that Steelers’ rookie first-round pick Troy Fautanu will make his first start in the NFL Sunday in Denver. Fautanu missed the final two preseason games for the Steelers with a knee injury suffered in the preseason opener against Houston. Prior to the knee injury, it was expected that Fautanu would be the starting RT for Week 1 in Atlanta.
Of course, that didn’t happen. Broderick Jones started at RT. Now, it appears Fautanu will take over. He’ll have his hands full on Sunday with Broncos’ pass rusher Jonathon Cooper.
Against the Seahawks, Cooper recorded two sacks, generated seven pressures and was one of the top pass rushers in the first week of the season in the NFL. Cooper is coming off of a 2023 season in which he recored 55 pressures and 8.5 sacks for the Broncos. Quietly, he’s one of the more dangerous pass rushers in the NFL.
It’ll be a tough introduction into the NFL, but it’s one that Fautanu is prepared for.
STEELERS TE PAT FREIERMUTH VS. BRONCOS LB ALEX SINGLETON
With much of the attention being paid to the matchup of George Pickens vs. Patrick Surtain II on Sunday, one flying under the radar is the matchup of Steelers’ tight end Pat Freiermuth in the middle of the field against Broncos’ linebacker Alex Singleton. Freiermuth has played the Broncos just one time in his career, which was back in 2021. He had five receptions for 31 yards in the game, but should be a bigger part of the offense this week.
He’ll find himself dealing with Broncos’ standout linebacker Alex Singleton this week over the middle. Singleton had an interception in Week 1 over the middle, but he has typically been a guy that struggles in coverage. In his career, Singleton has allowed 235 receptions of 284 targets for 1,955 yards and 17 touchdowns, according to Pro Football Focus. While he’s great against the run and is a tackling machine, the Steelers under coordinator Arthur Smith need to attack him in coverage, particularly with Freiermuth.
After not targeting the middle of the field last week against Atlanta, things should be opened up more for the Steelers under Smith in the middle of the field, giving Justin Fields more opportunities in the passing game. Don’t be surprised if Freiermuth has a big day.
