Justin Fields wins 2nd start with Steelers; Defense shines against Bo Nix
DENVER — T.J. Watt and Pittsburgh's stingy defense throttled rookie Bo Nix on Sunday and Justin Fields, subbing again for an injured Russell Wilson, led the Steelers to a 13-6 win over the sputtering Denver Broncos.
Fields threw a touchdown pass and finished 13 for 20 for 117 yards with no interceptions to help Pittsburgh (2-0) beat the Broncos (0-2) for the third consecutive time, something that never happened in the teams' 35-game all-time series.
Although Nix threw for 246 yards on 20-of-35 passing, he never found the end zone and was intercepted twice. And like Fields, he was sacked twice.
Nix, who had a pair of turnovers in Seattle’s territory in the opener, was intercepted by Cory Trice Jr. in the back of the end zone in the third quarter, squelching Denver's best drive. Just before that, Nix had completed passes of 26 yards to Courtland Sutton and 50 yards to Josh Reynolds to put the Broncos on the Steelers 6.
On Pittsburgh's ensuing drive, Broncos star cornerback Patrick Surtain II's third penalty of the game — a 37-yard pass interference — set up Chris Bowell for his second field goal, this one from 53 yards, to make it 13-0 late in the third quarter.
The Broncos faced fourth-and-6 from the Pittsburgh 16 when coach Sean Payton decided to send out kicker Wil Lutz for a 35-yard field goal with 10:42 remaining, making it 13-3 and keeping a two-score deficit alive.
Another drive stalled at the Steelers 11 and Lutz was good from 29 yards with 1:54 left. With one timeout remaining, Payton chose to kick it deep rather than declare an onside kick.
The Steelers punted the ball back to the Broncos at their 19 with 9 seconds remaining and Damontae Kazee intercepted Nix's final heave as time expired.
Wilson’s much-anticipated return to Denver to face the team that replaced him first with Jarrett Stidham, then with Nix, a rookie from Oregon, fizzled into a footnote when he was relegated to emergency QB status Sunday as a strained calf sidelined him for the second straight week.
Wilson’s tumultuous two-year stint in Denver featured an 11-19 record, a head coach who didn’t make it through his first season in Nathaniel Hackett and a year with Payton, for whom Wilson pined to play earlier in his career but whose pairing imploded during their one season together.
Wilson ended his stint in Denver on the bench and the Broncos released him in March even though their split triggered a record $85 million in dead cap charges over two years. Wilson signed for the veteran’s minimum ($1.21 million) in Pittsburgh, meaning the Broncos are on the hook for $37.79 million of his 2024 salary.
Boswell's 22-yarder as the second quarter expired sent the Steelers into halftime with a 10-0 lead after they held the Broncos to 62 yards of offense in the first half.
Fields' 5-yard touchdown toss to Darnell Washington capped the only sustained drive by either team in the first half and gave the Steelers a 7-0 lead.
Injuries
Broncos: DE John Franklin-Myers sustained a concussion in the first half. ... OLB Baron Browning left in the second quarter with a foot injury. ... Safety and special teams ace J.L. Skinner left with an ankle injujry midway through the fourth quarter. ... RT Mike McGlinchey walked to the medical tent after colliding with LT Garett Bolles at the 2-minute warning.
Steelers: Their only injury came in the fourth quarter when LB Tyler Matakevich pulled a hamstring.
Up next
Steelers: Host the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday.
Broncos: Visit Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday.
