Breaking down the “Good, the Bad, and Ugly” from the Steelers home opener against the Broncos
The Good, Bad, and Ugly column is a breakdown of several segments of every Pittsburgh Steelers 2020 regular-season game into each of a grading category of “good”, “bad”, or “ugly”. To get to the nitty-gritty, Travis Newton dissects three moments from each game which could be best classified under each of those labels.
Good – Chase Claypool Touchdown
Steelers Ball: 2nd Quarter 6:34 – 1st-and-10 Pit 16
What had been a rather stale Pittsburgh Steelers offense, exploded on an 84-yard touchdown connection from Ben Roethlisberger to Chase Claypool.
Claypool, the top 2020 draft pick for the Steelers, showed his ability to take the top off the defense when he beat the corner down the sideline and made a basket catch over his right shoulder. The 49th overall pick then used his speed and agility to tiptoe down the sideline and outrun the entire Broncos defense en route to his first NFL touchdown.
The play went to an Official Replay Review but was upheld as Claypool helped the Steelers stretch their lead 14-3.
Bad – Ben Roethlisberger Interception
Steelers Ball: 3rd Quarter 12:08 – 3rd-and-16 Den 48
The first possession of the 2nd half for Pittsburgh was going backward when Ben Roethlisberger threw up a jump ball for JuJu Smith-Schuster that wound up in the hands of Denver Safety, Justin Simmons.
Simmons returned the pick 40 yards down to the Pit 28 before it was brought back to the 31 after Roethlisberger sold an illegal block in the back to the officials.
The interception marked the 25th consecutive game with a Steelers giveaway, the longest streak in team history since the 1970 merger.
Ugly – Benny Snell Fumble
Steelers Ball: 4th Quarter 9:47 – 1st-and-10 Den 48
After getting the ball back from a safety, the Steelers were looking to put Denver away starting their drive near midfield. The drive came to a quick halt after Running Back, Benny Snell, coughed up a fumble on the 1st down rush attempt.
Snell, who earned significant reps in the season opener due to an injury to James Connor, has now fumbled it twice in as many games. The fumble set up the Broncos with great field position and quickly turned into seven points, making it a one-possession game.
