Week 2 finds us at Heinz Field to see the Denver Broncos take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Broncos are coming into the game after losing to the Tennessee Titans, and the Steelers are riding high after beating the New York Giants in New Jersey.
Broncos
The Broncos are coming off a tough Week 1 loss at home against the Tennessee Titans. Drew Lock‘s arm talent was on full display, hitting Jerry Jeudy in stride and connecting with Noah Fant on a nine-yard touchdown in the first quarter. He went 0-4 on deep passes, but the return of Pro Bowl wide receiver Courtland Sutton and rookie KJ Hamler should help in that department.
With Phillip Lindsay (turf toe) set to miss this week, Melvin Gordon will take over lead-back duties with Royce Freeman backing him up. Last week, Gordon had 78 yards rushing and a touchdown on 15 carries. Expect that number to rise this week. On the other side of the ball, the Broncos secondary took an enormous hit, losing No. 1 cornerback A.J. Bouye to the short-term IR with a dislocated shoulder. Bryce Callahan along with rookie cornerbacks Michael Ojemudia and Essang Bassey will try to help fill the void in Bouye’s absence.
Steelers
Meanwhile, the Steelers are coming off an impressive 26-16 win against the New York Giants. After his first game in 364 days, Ben Roethlisberger threw for 229 yards and three touchdowns while completing 65.6% of his passes. With James Conner going down in the second quarter, Benny Snell led the rushing attack with a career-high 113 rushing yards. He will aim for his third consecutive game with 90-plus rushing yards on Sunday.
The chemistry between Roethlisberger and JuJu Smith-Schuster was on full display as they hooked up for two touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the Steelers vaunted defense didn’t skip a beat piling up three sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and two interceptions. T.J. Watt and company will give the Broncos’ suspect offensive line all they can handle on Sunday.
Game Info
Date: Sunday, September 20th
Start time: 1:00 P.M. est
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Stadium: Heinz Field
TV Info: CBS
Betting Odds Sponsored by Jazz Sportsbook
Points Spread: DEN +7 (-110) | PIT: -7 (-110)
Moneyline: DEN: +270 | PIT: -345
Over/Under: O 40 (-110) | U 40 (-110)
The public has been hammering the Steelers and Under ever since the line opened. The Steelers point spread jumped from -5 to -7 and the total dropped to 40 after opening at 44. Expect Roethlisberger to take a step forward in this game after shaking off the rust last week. The Broncos offense should be more consistent with the additions of Sutton and Hamler. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will figure out creative ways to score against a tough Pittsburgh defense. Expect this game to go OVER 40 total points.
Prediction
The Steelers take advantage of Denver’s struggling secondary and take an early lead. Lock gets his favorite weapon back in Sutton and connects on a few deep passes that put the Broncos in multiple scoring positions. The Broncos make a late comeback to make it interesting, but the Steelers run out the clock to seal the victory at home.
Final Score: Broncos 20, Steelers 30
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Main Credit Image: Embed from Getty Images
