Denver Broncos vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Week 5 Preview

Things To Look For: 

Javonte Williams 

Javonte Williams has had quite the impressive start in his NFL debut. Averaging 4 yards a carry on 186 rush yards, it is not so much about the stats with the rookie back from North Carolina. What is most impressive about Williams is how hard he runs the ball. Williams has so far demonstrated some of his top talents in college: shedding defenders and running through people.

There is a reason that the rookie was Kyle Brandt’s hands-down winner in his weekly “Angry Runs” segment on their morning football show, Good Morning Football. 

While the Broncos, outside of last week’s blunder against the Ravens, have done a solid job of splitting carries between Williams and Melvin Gordon, Williams has an opportunity to play a large role against the Steelers. As Melvin Gordon battles a lower leg injury, he may dress out, but may be limited to carries. This would be Javonte Williams’ chance for a breakout game.

Big Ben 

While it has already been acknowledged that Big Ben looks as if he is losing a step in his ability, the last thing fans should do is overlook just how good he has been throughout his career. Big Ben may use the matchup against the Denver Broncos to really push his limits. While the Broncos’ secondary has the potential to be a great unit, they are still a work in progress on firing on all cylinders, between injuries and adaptation to new systems. Big Ben may see this as his in to attempt to air out the ball more and truly get a feel for what he can and cannot do.

More importantly, the status of Patrick Surtain for Sunday is still unknown. If Surtain cannot go, that gives the veteran QB even more to work with, though Ronald Darby‘s return is on the horizon. Overall, there is a good chance that Ben is going to attempt to use this as an opportunity to become comfortable with his performance again.