Winners and losers of the Denver Broncos’ 13-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Denver Broncos lost 13-6 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, dropping to 0-2 on the year. It was another rough outing by the Broncos offense, with rookie Bo Nix throwing two more interceptions and the team not scoring a single touchdown in the game. It was a frustrating game, and it looks like it’s going to be a long year for the Broncos.

With that said, here are the winners and losers from the Denver Broncos’ 13-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Loser – Broncos Attack

I could attribute this to Nix, the running game, the drops, the poor blocking and the plays, but the entire offense comes out on top here.

Nix finished the game completing 20 of 35 passes for 246 yards and 2 interceptions. To his credit, he played better in the second half, but a costly interception in the end zone really hurt the Broncos in this game. The final interception came on a Hail Mary attempt, but even so, it wasn’t a great performance from the rookie quarterback.

The running game was once again atrocious, with Bo Nix leading the team in rushing for the second week in a row. Javonte Williams had 11 carries for 17 yards in a woeful performance, and the Broncos’ running game as a whole once again struggled to make an impact.

The Broncos’ highly paid offensive line struggled once again this week with defense and opening up running lanes. Garett Bolles was penalized multiple times and struggled on several key plays throughout the game.

Greg Dulcich had two ugly drops in this game and the wide receivers didn’t do much in this game other than a few spectacular plays. A trick play by Josh Reynolds and Lil’Jordan Humphrey making a few plays late were the highlights of this unit.

All in all, if only six points are scored, the entire offense and the coaches are the losers.

Losers – Penalties

The Broncos played undisciplined football in this game, which cost them dearly in the long run. They received 9 penalties for 124 yards, which, combined with the offensive problems, was simply too much for the Broncos.

They need to get that right going forward or it’s going to be a long year for the Broncos.

Winner – Broncos Defense

Although it wasn’t a perfect performance for the Broncos defense, it kept the team in the game late in the fourth quarter. Justin Fields was only able to gain 117 yards passing, but they gave up 141 yards on the ground.

Still, they held the Steelers to just 13 points, made some key third down stops, and kept the Broncos in the game. It was far from a perfect performance, but overall they played pretty well.

Winner – Riley Dixon

You know it’s tough when I have to dig deep to consider the punter as the winner. Dixon punted well for the Broncos and pinned the Steelers at the one-yard line in this game. He was arguably one of the Broncos’ best players through the first two weeks of the season.

Loser – Sean Payton

He started the season 0-2 for the second year in a row, his offense is faltering, and his personally selected rookie quarterback has yet to throw a touchdown and has recorded four interceptions.

The Broncos traded a first-round pick for Sean Payton and are paying him big money to turn the franchise around. So far, he hasn’t had a great start this season. His highly paid offensive line is struggling, he is under-coached and the team is playing undisciplined football.

I expected more and hope that the situation will continue to improve in the future.

More winners and losers

• Winner: EDGE Jonah Eliss – He recorded the first sack of his career in this game and could get more playing time as Baron Browning suffered a foot injury.
• Winner: WR Josh Reynolds – He led the Broncos with 4 pass catches for 93 yards and was great in some key moments
• Loser: TE Greg Dulcich – Had two ugly falls
• Loser: S PJ Locke – He was called for a personal foul shortly before the end and subsequently lost his composure, which led to Sean Payton yelling at him and him being benched.
• Loser: RB Jaleel McLaughlin – A week after leading the team in runs, he had only three runs in this game
• Loser: WR/KR Marvin Mims Jr – A week after fans and media demanded more from Mims, he managed just one pass reception for 8 yards and played no role in the return game.
• Losers: Broncos fans – This is crap.