Week 2 poses a new challenge for the Steelers as they prepare to take on the Denver Broncos in the thin mountain air. It is a new challenge, but Pittsburgh will have to overcome the thin air that affects the breathing of most away teams. Each club enters this game coming off of different results during Week 1. The Steelers beat the Falcons, while the Broncos lost to the Seahawks.
Bo Nix is the story for the Broncos as the rookie tries to learn on the go. Denver has a poor roster overall as they remain in a rebuild. They have some strong parts on their team like their secondary and a couple of weapons on offense. The Broncos also have plenty of weaknesses that are going against them in weekly picks and predictions.
Many believe Pittsburgh is the stronger team going into this game, especially with how well their defense played last time around. T.J. Watt was on a tear, and their secondary was able to contribute a couple of turnovers to help the Steeler's offense score some field goals. If the black and gold can have a similar defensive showing, then they should be set up for success.
Still Curtain Expert panel predictions will leave Steeler's fans happy
"Pittsburgh is coming off a win in their opener and looking to stack another before heading back to Pittsburgh. They play a Broncos defense that allowed 146 yards on the ground and the Steelers need to take advantage of the regardless of who is at QB in week 2. The Steelers will get Warren involved more and the rushing attack will take over and the defense will make life tough for rookie Bo Nix and Pittsburgh will come out of Colorado with a victory. - Brandon Kring (Steelers 21-13)
"The Steelers are coming off a dominant defensive performance in the season opener, but scoring 18 points per game is a trend that needs to die with Matt Canada's departure. Fortunately, Bo Nix and the Broncos don't have a high-powered offense at this point, and Pittsburgh should be able to pull off their second straight road win -- even if it's in a low-scoring slugfest." - Tommy Jaggi (Steelers 21-16)
"The Steelers look to build upon a Week 1 road victory when we travel to Denver to take on the Broncos. Although the defense will play well, the offense will once again sputter as evidenced by the fact that we will once again not be able to find the endzone." - Eric C Hassel (Broncos 20-15)
"The Steelers' defense is surely going to handle Bo Nix and the Denver offense. However, the Steelers' offense will need to show consistency and get the ball into the end zone for comfort. Don't expect it to be all sunshine and rainbows though." - Jacob Harrison (Steelers 20-13)
"Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers are able to capture a win against Bo Nix and the Broncos. T.J Watt adds to his impressive accolades to start the season while Justin Fields secures QB1." - Loyal Ricks Jr. (Steelers 24-7)
"The Russell Wilson revenge game has been put on hold, but I think it is all for the better. Denver looked bad in week one and Bo Nix didn't look as pro-ready as many hoped. Steelers defense shines and we get a more Fields-centric playbook this week." - Andrew Falce (Steelers 27-13)
Final predictions have Steelers taking care of Broncos on the road
Score Prediction: Steelers 20, Broncos 16
Mike Tomlin stated that Justin Fields appears that he will be starting for his second game in a row. Russell Wilson must be fuming as he certainly wanted revenge against his former team. His calf injury seems to be more serious than the Steelers initially indicated. Either that or Tomlin is using it as an excuse to see what Fields could potentially provide as a future quarterback.
Pressure is on Fields every week that he gets a start. If the Steelers keep winning with him at quarterback, then it will be difficult for Tomlin to make the change back to Wilson. It wasn't the best showing by Pittsburgh's offense in Week 1, but they didn't turn over the ball and got enough points to secure a victory. They should take more chances if Fields shows he can be trusted to protect the ball.
Nix is another outlier here as the rookie looked bad in his first NFL start. If he can't build off of that performance, then the Steeler's defense will eat him alive. Denver doesn't have too many quality players on their roster, but that doesn't mean Pittsburgh can take their opponent lightly. If they want to win, their offense needs to find the end zone this time around and for their defense to repeat their performance from last week.
Arthur Smith will keep the Steelers offense rather boring still with Fields in the lineup. He wants to keep him comfortable and in situations where it is difficult to turn over the football. Pittsburgh should be able to run the ball on the Bronco's defense and take shots when needed. This is another big game for the Steelers if they want a positive impact for a playoff run later in their schedule.