Stingy defense carries Steelers past Broncos for 2nd straight road victory

DENVER — If the Pittsburgh Steelers faced a more suspect offense than their own every week of the NFL season, they could go undefeated.

Through two games, the offense has produced one touchdown and 31 points. It also has yet to commit a turnover.

Thanks to a stingy defense that has allowed one touchdown through eight quarters, that formula has helped the Steelers craft a 2-0 record for the first time since 2020.

The Steelers jumped to a lead late in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos and, despite some uneasy moments in the second half, they walked out of Empower Field with a 13-6 victory.

Both victories have come on the road, a feat the Steelers hadn’t accomplished since 1999, when they finished 6-10.

A quarter century later, can the Steelers sustain this style of winning?

“Hopefully,” defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. “Hey, if we can build on it like this … I’m cool with it. All we’re interested in is winning.”

Quarterback Justin Fields, starting his second consecutive game in place of an injured Russell Wilson, threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Washington in the first quarter. Chris Boswell kicked two more field goals after collecting six in the opener to provide enough points.

Fields finished with a 97.3 passer rating despite having just 16 yards passing in the second half when the offense bogged down amid a run of penalties and totaled just three first downs.

Fields, who completed 10 of 12 passes in the first half, hasn’t turned the ball over in either of his starts. Meantime, the defense has forced five turnovers, including two against the Broncos. Cory Trice had an interception in the end zone to thwart the Broncos’ best touchdown opportunity, and Damontae Kazee ended the game with a pick inside Steelers territory.

Kazee summed it up best when asked about the ugly way the Steelers have produced wins the past two weeks.

“You have to have surfboard shoulders,” he said. “Balance the good with the bad.”

The Steelers took a 13-0 lead into the fourth quarter before the Broncos used two field goals to make it a one-possession game inside the two-minute warning. The Broncos got the ball back at their 19 with nine seconds left, but rookie quarterback Bo Nix threw his second interception to end the game.

“We’ve got to carry us,” Kazee said. “One thing that has to travel is our defense. It starts with guys up front. When they get after it, it helps us guys in back. We can jump routes and go get the ball.”

The Steelers defense dominated the first half, holding the Broncos to 62 yards and three first downs. The Broncos were 1 of 5 on third down and failed to convert a fourth-and-7, which the Steelers turned into Boswell’s 22-yard field goal on the final play of the half.

T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith had sacks in the opening half, the only two recorded by the Steelers in the game.

“We love making plays,” Watt said. “We love seeing who is going to make plays. We know plays are going to be made. We’re not trying too hard to do more than we are supposed to. We’re trusting each other, and I think we’re only going to get better as a defense.”

Denver exceeded its first-half yardage total on a two-play sequence in the second half. Nix threw a 26-yard completion, and the Broncos followed with a trick play that ended with a 49-yard toss from Nix to Josh Reynolds to the Steelers 6.

Two plays later, Trice intercepted Nix in the back of the end zone on a pass attempt for Courtland Sutton. Trice was in the game because of a minor injury to Donte Jackson, who exited after the 49-yard completion but returned later in the half.

Trice had a feeling Nix would try to pick on him.

“Actually, I did,” he said. “I’m thinking it’s going to be a one-on-one go ball. I already was locked in. When I saw the look they gave us, I expected it.”

The Steelers converted the takeaway into Boswell’s 53-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead. It came after a 37-yard defensive pass interference call on a deep throw to George Pickens put the Steelers across midfield.

That was the extent of the offense for the Steelers, who were penalized 10 times for 78 yards. The Broncos were just as sloppy, committing nine penalties for 124 yards.

Broderick Jones was flagged three times, including two holding calls, in a six-play span in the second quarter. One of those holding calls wiped out a 51-yard completion to Pickens, who also lost a touchdown when offensive pass interference was called against Van Jefferson.

“We have to stop the penalties, and we all have to do better,” Fields said. “If we do that and with the way the defense is playing, if the offense gets rolling and we score 20 to 28 points a game, we should be in good shape.”

When Will Lutz kicked a 35-yard field goal with 10:42 remaining, it denied the Steelers their first road shutout since December 2005 and their first at any venue since 2011. It was the first points allowed by the Steelers defense in six quarters.

Lutz added a 29-yarder with 1:53 left.

“Keeping seven (points) off the board is huge in these type of games, especially on the road,” Heyward said. “I love the way we competed.”

While the Steelers are atop the AFC North, they have a two-game lead on Baltimore and Cincinnati, which remain winless. Cleveland is 1-1.

“To be 2-0 is a pretty good feeling,” coach Mike Tomlin said before adding, “Obviously, we’ve got a lot to work on.”