Next opponent: Winning in Denver isn't easy, but Broncos are beatable

DENVER -- It may not have been the prettiest win, but the Steelers got a victory on the road in the season opener. With the Broncos up next on the schedule, they have a legitimate opportunity to get out to a 2-0 start despite the first two games of the season being played away from Pittsburgh.

Here's a snapshot of what Denver brings into Week 2:

DENVER BRONCOS

Record: 0-1
Standing: Third, AFC West
Last result: Lost to Seahawks, 26-20

THE TREND

The Broncos are in the midst of a rebuild right now. When they acquired Russell Wilson a couple years ago, they tried to recreate the same magic they had with Peyton Manning, adding a veteran quarterback to help put them over the top. Heck, the Rams and Buccaneers have both done the same thing in recent years.

As we know now, adding Wilson did not work out in Denver's favor. Wilson had the worst season of his career under Nathaniel Hackett in 2022. But even after Sean Payton was brought in as head coach, he and Wilson butted heads and the veteran quarterback was benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham. At season's end, Payton had his way and had Wilson booted out of town and, as we all know, he landed here in Pittsburgh.

The Broncos have tried to turn the page at quarterback by acquiring Zach Wilson from the Jets and drafting Bo Nix out of Oregon with the 12th overall pick in this year's draft. But, as the Broncos have decided to roll with Nix at quarterback, the rest of the roster just isn't where it needs to be in order to compete. The AFC West is dominated by the Chiefs, and the Chargers are clearly ahead of both the Broncos and Raiders in terms of both overall roster and quarterback. Third place in the AFC West seems to be the best case scenario. That's just not good enough.

The Broncos didn't get off to a good start this season, either. A one-score loss to the Seahawks on the road doesn't seem too bad on the surface. However, Nix had a rough NFL debut, passing for only 138 and throwing two interceptions. Meanwhile, the Broncos gave up 146 yards on the ground and scored on only one of four trips to the red zone. They've got a lot of work ahead of them.

THE QUARTERBACK

Nix didn't have a great NFL debut, but that doesn't mean he's incapable of making plays for this Denver offense.

Nix was a rare five-year starting quarterback in college, which means he is pretty well polished for a rookie quarterback. In addition, Nix has a great blend of accuracy, arm talent and athleticism that fits the mold of today’s NFL quarterback. His timing was usually pretty good in college, having the ability to get the ball out at the top of his drop. But he also showed he can work through progressions.

The capability of moving the sticks as a scrambler or as part of the running game is a part of Nix's game. That was on display in his NFL debut with a heck of a run and score against the Seahawks:

However, one of his knocks coming out of college was his decision-making when he opts to extend the play. That was also on display against the Seahawks, giving the Steelers a great blueprint for how to make Nix feel uncomfortable and force turnovers:

THE OFFENSE

The conversation on Denver's offense begins with their running backs, Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin. Rookie Audric Estime figured to be part of that mix, too, but the Broncos just placed him on injured reserve with a designation to return. So, he'll be out for this game.

Williams is a talented runner, but has had a hard time staying healthy. He tore his ACL in 2022 after rushing for 903 yards as a rookie in 2021, so he wasn't able to shoulder a heavy workload last season. McLaughlin came in as a rookie last season and contributed 570 yards from scrimmage, but averaged 5.4 yards per carry. Between the two, they can cause fits for opposing defenses.

Courtland Sutton is the primary weapon in the passing game, as he's coming off a season in which he caught a career-high 10 touchdowns. His production is difficult to project with Nix now at quarterback, but he's still a dangerous receiver that must be contained. Josh Reynolds and Marvin Mims Jr. are other receiving threats, particularly deep downfield. The Steelers' secondary could be tested deep should the pass rush not get to Nix:

There are some concerns on the offensive line. The Broncos lost their starting center, Lloyd Cushenberry, to free agency. Luke Wattenberg, a former fifth-round pick, takes his place and he had a pretty lousy day in Week 1. Ben Powers and Quinn Meinerz are decent guards, but both haven't proven consistency yet. Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey at left and right tackle, respectively, are the strength of the offensive line. Bolles is, however, dealing with a calf injury, and McGlinchey will have his toughest test of the season facing T.J. Watt.

One thing to watch with the Broncos is how often they switch up personnel groupings. Players have been talking about that all week. Though, the Broncos did use 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end) the vast majority of the time against Seattle. They may try to switch things up a bit more to keep the Steelers on their toes. 

THE DEFENSE

You can't talk about the Broncos' defense without bringing up Pat Surtain II first. Surtain is one of the best cornerbacks in the game, and there's a strong argument to be made that he's the very best. There's no need to dig into any numbers here. He's capable of shutting down any receiver in football. As he did against DK Metcalf in Week 1, Surtain will shadow George Pickens in this game. It'll be a tall order for the Steelers' No. 1 receiver.

After Surtain, there is a but of hit and miss throughout the rest of the defense. Riley Moss and Levi Wallace are the next two outside cornerbacks, and both are a steep drop off after Surtain. Moss is in his second year but having his first real experience as an NFL cornerback, and Wallace's struggles are well-documented in Pittsburgh. Ja'Quan McMillian is a solid nickel corner, though he's a much better in run defense than he is in coverage.

The Broncos do have a pretty stout pass rush. Zach Allen, Jonathon Cooper, Baron Browning and Nik Bonitto are all capable of getting after the quarterback. Cooper registered two sacks last week, but Allen will give Spencer Anderson a heck of a challenge on the interior, whether he's rushing the passer or making plays in the backfield in the running game:

For as good as these guys are up front at rushing the passer, they can be carved up on the ground. They allowed Seattle to rush for 146 yards in Week 1. And, as far as the running game goes, the Broncos' defensive front doesn't pose the same danger at Atlanta one week ago. The Steelers should be able to run the ball in this game.

The two weakest areas of this defense are at off-ball linebacker and safety. Both positions lost key players as linebacker Josey Jewell and safety Justin Simmons both departed via free agency. At linebacker now is Alex Singleton and Cody Barton. Singleton is a solid run stopper, but both players can absolutely be exploited in the passing game. P.J. Locke and Brandon Jones are the two safeties, and both have been at best inconsistent in coverage throughout their careers.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

Will Lutz is a solid kicker and has been for a while. He made all three of his attempts in Week 1 with a long of 45 yards. He can make them from quite a ways in Denver. Riley Dixon has a leg on him, and he's already had to put that to good use with eight punts in Week 1. But, he averaged 48.6 yards per punt with a long of 65 yards. He can flip the field. Mims handles the kick and punt returns. He's a pretty electric athlete, so be wary of him breaking one.

THE INJURY REPORT

* - injured reserve

• Devaughn Vele, WR (ribs) -- Vele caught a team-high eight passes last week against Seattle, but after missing practice all week, the seventh-round rookie has been ruled out of Sunday's game.

• Garett Bolles, OT (calf) -- Bolles suffered an ankle injury in the season opener, but X-rays came back negative. Payton said this week Bolles has a "contusion," but no structural damage. Bolles was held out of practice Wednesday, but then was a limited participant Thursday and practiced fully on Friday. He's been cleared with no injury designation.

• Josh Reynolds, WR (Achilles) -- Same as Bolles, Reynolds didn't practice Wednesday and was limited Thursday. But, after practicing full Friday, it appears Payton might have been managing Reynolds' reps as he's dealing with "Achilles discomfort." He's been cleared to play, and could see a larger role with Vele ruled out.

• Luke Wattenberg, C (ankle) -- Wattenberg apparently tweaked his ankle during the loss to the Seahawks, but he's been managed the same as Bolles and Reynolds: Sat out Wednesday, was a limited participant Thursday and practiced fully Friday. The Broncos' starting center's also been cleared to play.

• Jonah Elliss, OLB (knee) -- Elliss had a knee issue that made him a limited participant Wednesday, but he followed that up with two full days of practice. The depth linebacker has been cleared to play.

• *Quinn Bailey, OT (ankle) -- Bailey suffered a broken ankle during training camp and is out for the 2024 season. He was expected to compete for a depth role on the Broncos' offensive line.

• *Audric Estime, RB (ankle) -- Estime was placed on injured reserve this week, though he is not expected to need surgery for his ankle injury.

• *Damarri Mathis, CB (ankle) -- Mathis was injured on a tackle attempt during the Broncos' final preseason game when multiple players landed on his leg. His timeline for recovery is unclear, but he will not be eligible to return until Week 5. When healthy, he's a depth piece in the team's secondary.

• *Ronnie Perkins, OLB (undisclosed) -- Perkins was placed on waivers in August, but went unclaimed and has remained on Denver's injured reserve since. Without an injury settlement, he'll be out for all of 2024.

QUOTABLE

"I think the No. 1 thing for good head coaches is they're good leaders. Obviously, you can't control if they come from the offensive or defensive side of the ball. (Seahawks coach) Mike Macdonald Week 1, the tape you're watching, all of that. He's a bright young coach. Week 2 now, Mike (Tomlin), I've known forever. I don't know that it's looked at differently. Certainly, the Steelers defensive tradition and how they've performed over the years is deserving of the accolades and all the success they've had. It's tough, it's physical. They do a lot of things extremely well, and that's not by accident. I think we'll be seeing a better defense this weekend, and that's with no disrespect at all to Seattle. It's just a more experienced defense. That's a better way to say it. We'll have to obviously make the corrections and then get ready for a good week here for a home game." -- Sean Payton on facing challenging defenses to start the season

"I don't get into naming who the top defensive players are, but he's in that discussion. He's certainly disruptive in the run game and disruptive in the pass game. Each film you look at, he's beating doubles. He's very athletic. I think he's very strong, and he can bend. Those are all good traits to have, and he's exceptionally smart." -- Payton on facing T.J. Watt

"I feel like the last time I was part of playing Pittsburgh, he was hurt that game, which was good for us. He kind of has an Aaron Donald-like effect on the game. There are great players in this league, but there are just a couple guys that I can remember that are as disruptive consistently as this guy. So, you better know where he is every play." -- Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi if there's a plan to stop Watt

"I think you study closely the game they just played obviously, preseason. You study the Atlanta cut-ups. Then you understand the skill set he has relative to … you might look at the quarterback run package in Chicago where they went up and played really well against New England after a tough loss on a Thursday night. He played exceptionally well. A lot of QB-design runs. So, you're kind of taking all of that into your cut-up consideration." -- Payton on facing Justin Fields

"With a guy like that we have to make sure that we plaster the receivers and don't allow them to get second chances because we know that Justin creates second opportunities for the receivers and for their offense. When you (have) a dual threat quarterback like that, you really have to lock in and hone in on second play ahead, rather than the first play." -- Pat Surtain II on the challenge of facing Fields

"No. We're not playing tennis or golf. We're playing a team game, and we're focused on the Steelers. They're a good football team." -- Payton on if he or the team have talked about the possibility of facing Russell Wilson