The Denver Broncos were held without a touchdown during their 2024 home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, a 13-6 loss at Empower Field at Mile High.
There weren’t a lot of highlights from the game, although quarterback Bo Nix passed over the 200-yard mark for the first time as a pro. The loss sent the Broncos to an 0-2 record for the second-straight season. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the studs and duds from the loss.
Stud: Second-half defense
The Broncos’ defense made several second-half adjustments to make Steelers quarterback Justin Fields uncomfortable, and almost one-dimensional. Pittsburgh only gained 94 second-half yards, only getting three points on seven drives. The second-half play of the defense kept the game close for the fledgling Denver offense.
Dud: Penalties
The Broncos had another week of completely undisciplined football. The best example of this came from a questionable unnecessary roughness penalty on safety PJ Locke, and Locke threw his helmet after the play. Throughout the game, a couple of costly penalties from cornerbacks Riley Moss and Pat Surtain put the Steelers in scoring position. There was one “good” penalty in the second half when left tackle Garett Bolles had a holding call that prevented Nix from getting mauled. The Broncos finished with one less penalty than the Steelers (nine) but they went for 124 yards, compared to 78 for the visitors.
Dud: CB Pat Surtain
Today, Surtain had a really tough day. He had a couple penalties for holding and pass interference and got beat more than once by Pittsburgh wide receivers. There needs to be improvement from the Broncos’ cornerstone if they’re to hang in games later this season.
Dud: Denver’s nonexistent rushing attack
The running game was absolutely pitiful against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Broncos were almost forced to pass because they couldn’t run. Nobody looked good behind Bo Nix and they only had 65 rushing yards as a team. Nix led the team for the second straight week in rushing, with four carries for 25 yards.
Neither stud nor dud: QB Bo Nix
Nix made better decisions with the ball this week. With the running game so bad against the Steelers, the Broncos had little choice but to pass. Nix pushed the ball downfield at varying times, and his timing on routes showed why Payton made him the starter. Nix did one interception in the red zone and one to end the game, and the pick in the end zone proved to be a backbreaker. He had little help from receivers, and several drops from tight end Greg Dulcich, which may be a position to reevaluate this coming week. Nix finished 20-of-35 for 248 yards and two interceptions. Progress?
