Mile High Roundtable: Broncos at Steelers | Week 2 | Predictions & Picks
James Campbell (@JamesC_MHH) 0-1: Entering the season, I always had this as a loss: on the road, Eastern time zone, a short week... it's a huge test, made more difficult by injuries. The Steelers have an excellent defense, but their offense is also capable of big plays with a healthy Ben Roethlisberger, a potent running game, and an excellent receiving core that will test the Broncos' young and depleted secondary. On offense, it's difficult to imagine the Broncos matching up well with the defense, but the offense will have to play fundamentally sound football, and incorporate Noah Fant and Courtland Sutton (if he plays) into the game plan to have any chance.
Pick: Steelers 34, Broncos 13
Josh Carney (@JCarney_Sports) 1-0: Coming off of a short week, the Broncos face a tough road test traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers and one of the league's best defenses. Making just his seventh start of his career, this will be the toughest test to date for young Drew Lock, especially when you consider he's in just his second game under a new OC. With a number of key guys still banged up, Denver will show a ton of fight on the road, but Pittsburgh's defense will be too much to overcome for a shorthanded Broncos' offense. Better days ahead.
Pick: Steelers 24, Broncos 19
Keith Cummings (@KeithC_NFL) 0-1: The Broncos have seriously put themselves in a hole after losing Week 1 vs. the Titans in a game that should have been in the bag. There's plenty to take heart from in terms of individual performances, however. It's on to Pittsburgh with a lot of injury issues to contend with once again. I take the Broncos to remain strong here but come up short in this one.
Pick: Steelers 27, Broncos 21
Carl Dumler (@CarlDumlerMHH) 1-0: I have gone back and forth on this one, expecting a bit of a defensive battle early on. If the Broncos want to stand a chance, they'll need a turnover or two and a big play on offense that gets some quick points. I'm going to go against the grain as I have a feeling that with Courtland Sutton and KJ Hamler coming back, the Broncos surprise the NFL and win a close one in Pittsburgh.
Pick: Broncos 27, Steelers 17
Thomas Hall (@ThomasHallNFL) 0-1: The Broncos have a tough task heading into Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. Denver should be huge underdogs on the heels of Monday night’s loss. The mental mistakes killed the Broncos and will do so again if they let it rear its ugly head. The Broncos will hang tough and keep the game close by putting the clamps on the Steelers rushing attack and largely keep Roethlisberger in check. In the end, it won’t be enough as a costly turnover shifts the game in the Steelers favor, dropping the Broncos to 0-2.
Pick: Steelers 24, Broncos 17
Chad Jensen (@ChadNJensen) 0-1: The Broncos blew a game they should have won and the reason it was so unfortunate is that it makes Week 2 vs. Pittsburgh bordering must-win territory. Here's why: NFL teams who start the season 0-2 have a less-than 15 percent chance of making the playoffs. Those numbers can't be completely relied on this year because of the seventh playoff spot now allowed in each Conference (more seats at the table), but it's a sobering historical fact nonetheless. Unlike last week where anything that could go wrong in critical moments seemingly did, this week, the Broncos will need to invert that in order to beat the Steelers at Heinze Field. I'd like to believe the Broncos can do it but there were too many coaching snafus last week and the players were a little too jittery to justify picking them this week in a tough road game. Roethlisberger picks on rookie cornerbacks Michael Ojemudia and Essang Bassey and the Steelers' stout defensive front allows the home team to cover the spread. There is a path to victory here for the Broncos, but the Pat Shurmur offense is going to have to come alive and more than carry its weight.
Pick: Steelers 24, Broncos 16
Trevor Judge (@TrevorJudge) 0-1: The Broncos have definitely been hit the injury bug early this season. With A.J. Bouye moving to injured reserve, there’s definitely a level of concern as to who will cover Smith-Schuster. On the other side of the ball, it’s looking like Hamler could make his NFL debut this week in a limited capacity. However, Phillip Lindsay (doubtful) and Sutton (questionable) could be on the sidelines. The Broncos' offensive tackles are going to have their hands full holding off Bud Dupree and TJ Watt as well. I think we see some improvement to the rhythm of the offense, but overall, this Steelers team’s experience (coupled with Denver’s injuries) gives them the edge. Denver moves to 0-2 for consecutive seasons.
Pick: Steelers 27, Broncos 20
Zack Kelberman (@KelbermanNFL) 0-1: Beating the Steelers at Heinz is tough enough under normal circumstances. Beating the Steelers at Heinz sans Von Miller, Lindsay, and Bouye (and perhaps Courtland Sutton) is almost unthinkable. Never say never. Any given Sunday. I get that. But I had this game as a Broncos loss months ago, and I'm not deviating now. The score isn't as important as the storylines. How'd Lock do? Did Elijah Wilkinson get him killed? Can Vic Fangio better manage a clock? This is a year of development across the board, and going toe to toe with a well-coached, explosive, likely playoff-bound Steelers club would provide encouragement for the rest of 2020. There's a chance Denver springs the upset — Lock and the running game would need to play out of their minds — though also a reason they're 7.5-point underdogs.
Pick: Steelers 26, Broncos 17
Nick Kendell (@NickKendellMHH) 0-1: After starting the season with a loss, the Broncos path to the playoffs doesn't get any harder as Denver travels to Pittsburgh to play Big Ben and one of the best defenses in football. Facing a difficult pass rush led by Watt, Dupree, and Cameron Hayward, the Broncos' O-line and Lock better be prepared for constant pressure on Sunday. The Steelers are also rather decimated on the offensive side of the ball much like Denver is, but unfortunately, Pittsburgh is one of the few teams the Broncos will play this year that has a more talented and deeper defense. Denver loses a close one to start the year 0-2 and reeling on their path to playoff contention.
Pick: Steelers 23, Broncos 20
Bob Morris (@BobMorrisSports) 1-0: The Broncos will get a much bigger test in Week 2 in the Steelers, who have a defense that could prove to be a top-five unit by season's end. It will be difficult to run the football against the Steelers, thus putting more pressure on the passing game. Pittsburgh's offense is solid, but if the Broncos offense can't keep drives going, it's going to wear out a Broncos defense that will be without key players. The Broncos should put up a fight, but I don't think they have enough to get past the Steelers.
Pick: Steelers 27, Broncos 13
Luke Patterson (@LukePattersonLP) 1-0: The Broncos have little time to lick their wounds after losing the home opener. The offense will face a host of ferocious defenders including Watt, Dupree, and Heyward. The Broncos' O-line will be heavily mismatched against Steelers' defensive front. Expect Big Ben to air it out on a thin Broncos' secondary and duo of rookie cornerbacks.
Pick: Steelers 27, Broncos 17
Lance Sanderson (@SandersonMHH) 1-0: This game is an early kickoff against arguably the best defensive front seven in the league. If Denver stands any chance of winning this game, it's going to come down to their play in the trenches. Stopping that ferocious pass rush of Watt and Dupree on the edge is paramount. Defensively, Denver has a chance to dial up their own pass rush against a banged up Steelers' front. With David DeCastro and Stefen Wisniewski likely missing the game on top of Zach Banner's torn ACL, the Broncos could get after Roethlisberger a lot, especially because he likes to hold onto the football for a little too long at times. What kind of resolve does this team have? That's what I want to know. Right now, I can't trust them to win but there is a chance for them to steal one this week.
Pick: Steelers 31, Broncos 20
Erick Trickel (@ErickTrickel) 0-1: It was a hard loss to the Titans who competent be one of the best teams in the AFC and the Steelers are very similar. The Broncos' defense is at a disadvantage against a tough Steelers' receiver corps, but they should also have some good receiving matchups. There is a lot of focus on the defenses, but the offenses stand out in this one. This game turns into an old fashion shoot out where Denver puts up 38 points, behind the speed of Hamler, but starts 0-2 after letting Pittsburgh drop the first 40 bomb of Fangio's head-coaching career.
Pick: Steelers 42, Broncos 38
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