In Week 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers answered a lot of questions about their offense, but not everything was cleared up. They ran the ball well, and Justin Fields even looked fine, but the wide receivers left much to be desired. George Pickens made it clear he’s going to continue to blow fan’s minds, but no other wide receiver really did anything. Because of that, former All-Pro corner Chris Harris Jr. believes the Broncos have to have Patrick Surtain II, their top corner, follow Pickens.
“He has to because Riley Moss is fresh out there, we don’t know what he can do,” Harris said on the YouTube channel Broncos and Bourbon. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting Moss on DK [Metcalf] right now. It’s definitely smart, scheme-wise, to do that. Steelers, that’s their only receiver, Pickens, so Pat Surtain is definitely on him. I gotta look at their other two and three receivers.”
Moss is Denver’s No. 2 two corner, and he’s only in his second NFL season, so he’s probably a worse option to cover Pickens. In contrast, Surtain has already been named a first-team All-Pro while only having three seasons under his belt. He’s one of the best corners in the league, and he’s going to be a big test for Pickens.
In Week 1, the Broncos played the Seattle Seahawks, and Surtain shadowed Metcalf, their best receiver. Metcalf was held to only three catches for 29 yards, a shockingly quiet day for one of the league’s best and most gifted receivers. That’s not a good sign for Pickens on Sunday.
Harris played for the Broncos from 2011-2019, being part of one of the best defenses in NFL history. In his prime, he shut down almost every receiver he faced, except for Antonio Brown. His defensive knowledge is incredibly impressive, and if he believes the Broncos won’t allow Pickens to beat them, then that’s probably the strategy they’ll try to employ.
This is the worry with the Steelers’ offense. Pickens is amazing, but in today’s NFL, you need at least a decent No. 2 option in the passing game. Otherwise, defenses will take away your only option and force you to play with one hand tied behind your back. In Week 1, Steelers receivers not named Pickens only accounted for two catches for eight yards. That isn’t good enough.
If the Broncos allow Surtain to follow Pickens, someone else is going to have to step up. If no one does, then teams will play the Steelers like that all year. Their defense is incredible, and their rushing attack seems like it can be their strength on offense, but if they want to actually make some noise in the playoffs, they’ll need to be able to throw the ball. We’ll see this weekend if someone answers the call.
