5 Steelers to watch against Broncos
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be on the road for the second week in a row. They’ll play the Denver Broncos in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL regular season on Sunday, September 15. Coming off of a win against the Atlanta Falcons, the Steelers look for their offense to get into a rhythm that carries them into the end zone and another dominant performance from their defense.
Justin Fields
With news that Russell Wilson’s calf injury remains an issue, Fields is pencilled in as the starting quarterback against the Broncos. Fields, who fared relatively well against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, will need to continue to take care of the ball, if he does get the start, while pushing the offense to improve as well.
Fields’ ability to get mobile and utilize play-action should help open up the passing game against a Broncos team that allowed 171 yards and a touchdown via the pass by the Seattle Seahawks.
Fields completed 17 of his 23 passes for 156 yards and rushed 14 times for another 57 yards against Atlanta, leading the Steelers to scores on six of 10 possessions.
Najee Harris
Harris carried most of the rushing load in Week 1 despite Cordarrelle Patterson and Jaylen Warren also earning carries. Harris ran angry, but had just one rush that really broke out into the open field for a major gain.
Najee Harris was the primary rusher for the #Steelers in #NFL Week 1. He'll be asked to run even angrier against a Broncos team that gave up 146 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to the Seahawks last week. #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/pnT7Wj6mpw
— Christina Rivers (@3Rivers_Writer) September 11, 2024
The Broncos gave up two touchdowns and 137 rushing yards to the Seahawks. If Harris can take the load off of Fields’ need to pass, the Steelers should – once again – be able to control time of possession and set up their defense for better outcomes due to not being forced to be on the field too long
Rushing at the Broncos blitz should also keep the offense from getting too far behind the chains to convert critical downs.
Dan Moore & Troy Fautanu
With the announcement that left tackle Dan Moore Jr. has an ankle injury that kept him out of practice on Wednesday, it may be time for rookie Troy Fautanu to step in. Fautanu suffered a knee injury in training camp but took snaps in practice this week.
The Broncos have Zach Allen, Jonathon Cooper, and Alex Singleton to toss at the Steelers’ offensive line, so protecting Fields will be critical. While it is unknown if it will be Fautanu’s turn or not, the rookie is ready.
“Last week, the last two weeks really just preparing myself mentally, really more than anything… I think that’s the biggest step these last couple of weeks, just trying to make sure I’m prepared.” – Troy Fautanu
Corliss Waitman
Waitman isn’t exactly a Steelers “newcomer” but the last time he was with Pittsburgh was for two games in 2021. Due to the season-ending injury to Cameron Johnston, Waitman will be the punter against the Broncos.
How well he kicks will be a key part of giving the Steelers defense a good spot to start their attack on Denver’s offense.
