Steelers stat predictions: What will Ben Roethlisberger’s stat line be against the Broncos?

Ben Roethlisberger had a pretty good game against the Giants in week one. He will look to do the same in the Steelers week two game against the Denver Broncos defense.

In week one, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger put up a stat line of 21-32, 229 yards passing, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and even added 9 rushing yards. For a player in his first game back in nearly a year, this was an outstanding split.

Big Ben was also able to put up these numbers with subpar offensive line play in the passing game. Furthermore, he also lost his starting running back, James Conner, in the first half with an ankle injury. Luckily, Benny Snell Jr. was able to fill the role in the Steelers “next man up” mentality and take a lot of ease off of Ben at times in the first half and many times throughout the second.

The Steelers will more than likely not be able to rely on the running game against the Broncos defense who held the Titans running offense in check in week one. They held Derrick Henry to an average of 3.7 yards per carry, however, he did end up finishing the game with 116 yards rushing, but that was on an abundance of 31 carries.

Holding Derrick Henry, the absolute mammoth of a running back, to 3.7 yards per carry is an amazing feat. This is a very telling stat and indicates that in order to beat the Broncos, Ben will have to do it with his arm against a secondary that allowed Ryan Tannehill to throw for 249 yards on 29-43 passing, 2 touchdowns, and 0 touchdowns.

How I think the Steelers quarterback will perform in week two.

In week two, Ben will be facing a tougher pass defense and tougher defense overall in the Denver Broncos. However, Ben should have the upper hand on the Broncos defense who will have to face him without the likes of Von Miller and A.J. Bouye. The Broncos also lost former pro-bowl cornerback Chris Harris Jr. in free agency to the Chargers.

One daunting stat, however, is that Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers have had their struggles against the Broncos in recent outings. In their last five meetings, the Steelers have lost four of them, all coming in Denver, and the one win coming in Pittsburgh. Luckily, this game will be played in Pittsburgh. I believe Ben will really have to air it out this game and win it with his arm talent.

My predicted stat line: 315 yards on 30-40 passing, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception.

This is a lot to ask for a quarterback in just his second game back in about a year, but we have to remember that Ben is very capable of this. The Steelers’ rushing attack will probably struggle against a good Broncos defense, so the game will be in Ben’s hands, just how he likes it.