The Steelers dominated the stat sheet, but several costly mistakes gave away an easy win in Denver. The game was reminiscent of the playoff game in Denver in 2015. The Steelers had control but kept giving it back including the game tying drive.
The offense moved the ball at will creating 25 first downs and over 500 yards. Ben Roethlisberger had a tremendous day, but two critical turnovers cost the Steelers. The first was a communication issue with Antonio Brown that changed momentum and the last was a fluke play to Shelby Harris who was blown off the ball by Maurkice Pouncey and was in the passing lane. Roethlisberger passed for 462 yards and a touchdown. He also had all day to pass behind great protection.
James Conner had another mediocre day and a critical fumble that cost the Steelers points. Statistically the numbers were solid, but the performance wasn’t there. Despite the leaky Broncos run defense the offense had a pass first mentality. Conner finished with 95 yards from scrimmage.
The passing game was on fire. JuJu Smith-Schuster had 13 catches for 189 yards and tied his existing record with a 97-yard touchdown pass on a great play by Roethlisberger. He also surpassed 1000 yards for the first time in his career. Antonio Brown was open every time he was on the same page with Roethlisberger and finished with nine catches. Ryan Switzer has been a great find chipped in with six catches. Roethlisberger hit eight different receivers. Xavier Grimble had a huge catch and run but fumbled on the goal line, that play summed up the day.
The run defense was suspect, and they surrendered the first 100-yard rusher of the season to Phillip Lindsay. Neither the defensive line nor the linebackers had the answer. The secondary limited Case Keenum to under 200 yards, but both sides gave up critical plays and made critical stops. While it wasn’t a great performance, it should have been good enough to win.
The highlight of the day was on special teams. Alejandro Villanueva had his first touchdown catch of the season on a nifty fake field goal play. Chris Boswell made a great throw. Ryan Switzer had an uneven day in the return game. Jordan Berry, who didn’t punt in the first half, seems to have bounced back from early season woes with three solid punts.
The Steelers snapped their undefeated streak on the road. You can feel the upset coming as everything seemed off all game. It is nearly impossible to win with four key turnovers specifically three in the red zone.
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: Alejandro Villanueva of course. One of our favorite Steelers, he caught his first TD and did a terrific job. Also Considered, Chuks Okorafor who all but shutout Von Miller, JuJu Smith-Schuster for a MONSTER game.
Where I watched the game: Back at the house with the entire family, knee deep in doing Christmas decorations. We had a tremendous spread of meats, cheeses and breads. We had Penne Ala Vodka for dinner which was great. For the first Beer back went with IC Light. It was a great day, sans the result.
My Stat of the week: Giving two stats. Three 90+ yard touchdowns in JuJu Smith-Schuster’s young career. Of course, ONE the first Touchdown of Alejandro Villanueva’s career. Villanueva played Wide Receiver at West Point and is a great Steeler.
My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers continue a tough stretch and need a statement game against the Chargers. This could have playoff implications.
This week’s Jersey: Troy Polamalu, #43 Away, Was thinking about Troy this week and rocked the jersey!