3 reasons why the Broncos will earn a commanding win over Steelers in Week 2

The Denver Broncos seek their first win of the 2024 NFL Season, as they host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Denver in Week 2. Denver is beginning to get a reputation of starting out very slow when a season begins.

They did start 3-0 back in the 2021 NFL Season, but started 1-5 in 2023 and started 0-4 way back in the 2019 NFL Season. The Broncos have a winnable game in front of them against a bad QB and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It feels like a close game no matter how you slice it, so let's dive into three reasons why Denver beats Pittsburgh in Week 2.

3 reasons why the Broncos will earn a commanding win over Steelers in Week 2
The script on Justin Fields is out

We all know who Justin Fields is as an NFL QB. He's played 41 games in the league and is a bottom-10 passer but a top-3 runner. Denver is probably going to get beat on the ground for a big Justin Fields run at least once in this game, but his limitations as a passer is what Denver can take advantage of.

Fields is a lot like Russell Wilson in that he hangs onto the ball for too long and often runs into some unnecessary sacks. Denver could be able to notch some coverage sacks against Fields, and in their Week 1 game against the Falcons, legitimately did not throw the ball in the middle of the field. The Broncos cornerbacks should prioritize limiting the throws outside the hashes, which would force Fields to look to the middle of the field more for some more longer-developing routes.

This, in turn, should help the pass-rush and should keep the Steelers offense at bay for their Week 2 game. It's not a secret who Justin Fields is as a QB, so there is no reason for him to have a big game against Denver.

Home-field advantage will help out Bo Nix

Bo Nix made his first NFL start in one of the worst places to play in the league, and it was also against a very talented defense. Nix threw the ball 42 times and still managed to complete over 60% of his passes. He also led the Broncos to 10 points in their two-minute drive situations, so the debut was not as bad as some think it was.

Broncos fans are going to do their part to make life easier for Bo Nix. They aren't going to be screaming their heads off when Denver is on offense, and just the environment playing at home and Nix having a game in his back pocket is going to help immensely. Yes, the Steelers defense is very talented, but there is a clear advantage with the team being at home in Week 2.

Sean Payton has never lost against Mike Tomlin

Thanks to Zac Stevens of DNVR, we know that Sean Payton is 3-0 against Mike Tomlin:

This isn't nothing, as Payton has proven he knows what to do to take down Tomlin and the Steelers, who have run a similar defense for years now to what Payton has seen. Pittsburgh isn't overly taltned on either side of the ball, and Payton should have a better idea of what his players on offense are capable of after one game.

The team should be more efficient on offense, as their mistakes they made in Week 1 are all correctable. Payton and the Broncos also won some games last year against some very good teams and head coaches, so while Tomlin is among the best at his job in the NFL, so is Payton.

As a Pittsburgh resident, I have seen my share of Steelers games, and one thing that has plagued Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers for years now is playing "down" to their opponent. It seems as though at this very moment, the Steelers are probably the better football team, so could this be one of Tomlin's classic games where his team comes out and lays and egg?

I don't see why not. There is a lot here to indicate that the Broncos will beat the Steelers in Week 2.