Broncos defense bends, does not break, in 24-17 win over Steelers
Nov 25, 2018, 7:30 PM
Against the highly-talented, high-powered Pittsburgh Steelers offense on Sunday, the Denver Broncos defense bent. And bent. And bent some more. But they did not break.
And when it mattered most, the Broncos defense came up with big plays to keep the Steelers off the board and out of the win column in a 24-17 victory at home.
“Defensively, again, we gave some yards up. But in the critical moments, we made plays to win. That’s what’s important,” head coach Vance Joseph said after the game.
Denver gave up 527 yards of total offense to Pittsburgh on Sunday on 76 plays for an average of 6.9 yards per play.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 41 of 56 passing attempts for 462 yards and a touchdown.
But Big Ben also surrendered two interceptions, including a pick by Broncos defensive lineman Shelby Harris in the end zone to seal the game late.
“The Broncos defense, time and again, made big plays that kept the Steelers out of the end zone in classic ‘bend but don’t break’ fashion,” said “Stokley and Zach” co-host Zach Bye after the game.
Denver ended up turning over Pittsburgh four times, all in Broncos territory and two in the red zone.
Safety Will Parks saved a sure touchdown early in the second quarter by knocking the ball out of Pittsburgh tight end Xavier Grimble’s hands as he plunged toward the end zone for a touchback.
Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. picked off Roethlisberger in Broncos territory midway through the third quarter, and two plays later Denver tied the game 17-17.
Late in the third quarter, cornerback Bradley Roby forced Steelers running back James Conner to fumble, stopping a promising Pittsburgh drive in Broncos territory and setting up Denver’s game-winning drive.
Not to mention, safety Justin Simmons kept the Steelers off the board early with a blocked field goal.
“That’s five plays that we made that could have (led to) scoring plays. So, that was huge for us tonight,” Joseph said.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
