Feat. Mile High Report’s Ian St. Clair
Week 1 is in the books and we’re on to Denver. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 1-0 after a gritty win in the season opener. This week they face off against the Denver Broncos, who are coming off a narrow loss on the road. I spoke with Ian St. Clair of Mile High Report to get a better idea of what to expect from a Denver squad that’s seen a fair bit of roster turnover since they last played the Steelers.
You can read my questions and his answers below:
1. For seven years, the Denver secondary was anchored by All-Pro Justin Simmons. It’s a bit strange to watch this defense without him. Who has stepped into his role for the Broncos? How would you describe the state of Denver’s defense overall?
“Strange” is a great way to describe watching the Broncos defense sans Justin Simmons. He was what I call a Pat Bowlen Bronco. That’s a player who does right on and off the field. A player who Broncos Country is proud to have represent the franchise and the community. Brandon Jones will look to step into Simmons’ role. Jones signed in the offseason after the Broncos moved on from Simmons. Whether Jones can equal the play of Simmons is yet to be seen.
Denver’s defense is inconsistent. In the first half against the Seattle Seahawks, it looked like a really good defense. In the third quarter, the run defense and tackling were atrocious. If that happens again on Sunday, Pittsburgh will gash the Broncos. Denver’s defense is young, but you can see the makings of a good, if not great, defense. Playing consistently and not allowing big plays will be key.
2. We heard a lot of hype about new quarterback Bo Nix from Sean Payton this summer, but his Week 1 performance left fans saying “Oh, no.” What’s your evaluation of Nix so far? Where did he struggle and where did he find success?”
I was one of the fans who totally bought into Nix. Nix looked and played like a rookie quarterback. Even John Elway struggled in his first career start. The key for any rookie is progression. How does he learn, and what does he do to improve?
Nix struggled with timing and ball placement. The Broncos’ offensive line didn’t do him any favors, nor did Payton’s game plan. Denver abandoned the run way too soon. Nix threw the ball over 40 times against the Seahawks. That’s not a recipe for success, let alone for a rookie QB starting his first career game.
What Nix does well is keeping the play alive and improvising. And like any quarterback, he makes plays when he’s in rhythm. The drive Nix led at the end of the first half was one I thought would spark the offense to start the third quarter. Obviously, I was wrong, but that’s an opportunity for Payton and the coaches to say, “Do that.” It’ll be interesting to see how Nix looks on Sunday. The other thing I’ll add is that patience is the key. Broncos fans need to be patient when it comes to Nix. As I said earlier, Elway struggled in his first career start. A Hall of Fame quarterback is not made in one start.
3. Speaking of Payton, how will he try to attack Pittsburgh’s lethal pass rush? If Nix continues to struggle, will the temperature of Sean Payton’s seat in Denver start to change at all?
The Broncos need to run the ball. Even if it’s not successful early, keep running the ball. The other thing Payton must do is be less predictable with his play calls. For that to happen, Denver’s offensive line must protect and run block better. That unit was not good in Seattle. If the line doesn’t improve on Sunday, it won’t matter what Payton or Nix wants to do. As for Payton, no, the temperature shouldn’t change at all. He has a rookie QB making his career start with TJ Watt lurking. Payton and Nix should get at least three seasons before the freakout occurs.
4. The Bronco’s offense has gone through some significant roster turnover. Most Steelers fans should be familiar with Courtland Sutton and Javonte Williams. Are there any under-the-radar players they should be worried about in this game?
“Worried” isn’t the word I would use, but I’m a jaded Broncos fan. This isn’t exactly Peyton Manning with Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. As for players Steelers fans should keep an eye on, Jaleel McLaughlin is a Darren Sproles type of running back. He has big play ability and speed. As for receivers, Marvin Mims and Devaughn Vele are two players to watch for in the passing game. Payton has talked about getting Mims more reps for over a year. Mims has deep-threat potential. It’s just a matter of actually getting him involved in the offense.
5. The Steelers are favored (-2.5 on FanDuel) on the road. As a Steelers fan, I must admit trips into Denver always leave me with a Tebow-sized feeling of dread. What is your prediction for the final score?
The spread seems right to me. I could actually see it jumping up over 3 at some point, especially since 2.5 is one of those sweet-spot spread numbers. I think the Steelers defense will wreak havoc all day. No one will be able to block Watt or that pass rush, and the Broncos have issues stopping the run consistently. Pittsburgh wins 24-16.