Did the Denver Broncos make the Steelers reach a boiling point?

The Denver Broncos may have ‘low key’ been the proverbial straw that broke the Pittsburgh Steelers’ back last season.

The Denver Broncos did not have very many happy moments during the 2018 season.

The team went 6-10, finishing with double-digit losses for the second straight season en route to firing head coach Vance Joseph and making wholesale roster changes.

But there was a point last season, when things were kind of clicking for the Broncos, that we felt the Mile High Magic might be in the air again.

After the Broncos shocked the Los Angeles Chargers at home with a beautiful late victory, they came home the following week to play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That game against the Steelers was phenomenal, filled with big plays, twists, turns, drama — it had everything.

The biggest play of the game was obviously when the Steelers were driving late in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie if they scored a touchdown. They got the ball all the way down to the one-yard line when Ben Roethlisberger threw an interception to Shelby Harris.

That interception from Harris off of Big Ben was one of the most memorable moments for the Broncos last season, but it was detrimental for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After that game, Ben Roethlisberger went public calling out Antonio Brown, James Washington, and the play callers in Pittsburgh.

While Roethlisberger talked on the Sunday Night Football broadcast about how Washington reached out to him in appreciation for calling him out like that, Antonio Brown did not take so kindly to it.

As a matter of fact, we have all seen the insane drama this offseason surrounding Brown, the Steelers, his feet, his helmet, Ben saying he wished he would have done things differently, etc.

The band was broken up. AB and Ben were apparently never friends, just co-workers.

Do the Broncos take credit for that? Shelby Harris says, “Low-key? Yeah!”

I can’t believe I have not seen this interview yet, but thank you to Andrew Siciliano for re-sharing it.

While I didn’t think of it at the time, it is very possible the Broncos were the last straw for everything bubbling underneath the surface at Steelers HQ.

Harris’ interception set in motion a chain of events that ultimately led to Brown being traded, but not before he showed up on the sidelines of a game with playoff implications in a fur coat, only to leave the game on his own terms.

After Roethlisberger’s comments on the radio, the relationship between he and Brown — whatever it was — was beyond repair.

The Steelers may not be worse off for it. Brown’s public image has taken a substantial hit with the way he’s carried himself all offseason. Roethlisberger is having to do a lot more in the public eye to prove he’s a leader, and he’s still answering questions about Brown.

I love the somewhat evil laugh from Harris and the attitude that comes along with it. The Broncos’ top defenders understand how important it is to get into their opponents’ head. If the Broncos could do this kind of thing to the Steelers amidst a 10-loss season, imagine what they’ll be able to do if the offense can back them up a little better.