The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off the Week 1 upset in Atalanta against Kirk Cousins and the Falcons. This week they head to Denver to take on rookie quarterback Bo Nix and the 0-1 Denver Broncos. Let’s dive in and take a look at this Steelers-Broncos preview and predictions.
Week 1 for the Steelers was true Steeler football. Russell Wilson was scheduled to start but was held out due to injury and Justin Fields got the call. Mike Tomlin did Mike Tomlin things, the Steelers played their brand of football and beat the Falcons into the ground. For Week 2, Russell Wilson likely still won’t be ready to play and Justin Fields will get another shot at leading the Steelers to a victory.
On the other side of the ball, the Denver Broncos held tough with the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 in a tough environment battling Seattle’s 12th man. In the end, the Seahawks would take over in the second half and secure the six-point win. Rookie Bo Nix was just 26 of 42 passing for 138 yards, and most importantly threw two interceptions with no touchdown passes. Seattle Week 1 followed by Mike Tomlin Week 2 should get Nix ready to face anything for his career.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos Preview and Predictions
Bo Nix Over .5 Interceptions Thrown
He did it twice last week against Seattle, and now he’ll face a tough Steelers defense. TJ Watt is going to be chasing down Nix all day long. Denver’s running game struggled in Week 1 and Sean Payton proved he’s not afraid to have Nix throw the ball, hence 42 attempts in Week 1.
The Steelers picked off veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins of the Falcons twice in Week 1, if Nix is going to serve up that many opportunities, I have faith in the Steelers’ defense to at least come down with one interception.
Steelers -1.5 (-120)
The case has pretty much already been laid out above. The Broncos are a team still working on their rebuild and figuring out the future. The Steelers aren’t world-beaters, but they are a constant contender who put themselves in winning positions continuously. Mike Tomlin is 24-6 against rookie quarterbacks in his NFL career as the Steelers head coach, dating back to 2007. His .800 winning percentage against rookies only trails Don Shula and Hank Stram according to Steelers.com. Tomlin and this defense will just be too much for the Broncos to handle.
