The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Denver on Sunday for their Week 2 matchup with the Broncos, and the majority of NFL Network analysts who pick every game each week see the Steelers improving to 2-0. Seven of the 10 analysts had the Steelers beating the Broncos, via the NFL’s YouTube channel.
All 10 analysts believe that it’ll be a one-score game with Kevin Patra’s 24-17 Steelers win the largest margin of victory for Pittsburgh. Nick Shook is taking the Broncos to win, 20-13.
Given Pittsburgh’s ball-control offense, it won’t be a surprise if the scoring is low and it is a close game. Talent-wise, the Steelers should be better than the Broncos, but a road environment in the Denver elevation is an added layer of difficulty for the Steelers.
Another advantage for Pittsburgh is that Mike Tomlin has historically been good against rookie quarterbacks, going 24-6 against them in his career. Denver is slated to start Bo Nix, who looked shaky in his first career start against the Seattle Seahawks, throwing two interceptions. His matchup doesn’t get any easier against a Steelers defense that picked Kirk Cousins off twice and recovered a fumble. With T.J. Watt coming off the edge, things could get a little bit hairy for the Denver offense.
If the Steelers follow the same game plan they had against Atlanta, which is to run the ball well, take a few shots, force turnovers and control the ball, they’ll be in a good spot against Denver. It looks like Justin Fields will be under center again, which should give the Steelers another dimension to their offense with his ability to use his legs. That could be beneficial to helping wear down Denver’s defense.
While it may not be the Russell Wilson return game it was hyped up to be when the schedule was released, Sunday’s matchup should still be a good one and a game where the Steelers should come out on top.
It seems as if the NFL Network crew agrees.
