Defenses dominate the day in Broncos/Steelers matchup
With talent like John Elway, Kordell Stewart, Jerome Bettis, Terrell Davis, Rod Smith and Yancy Thigpen on the field on Sunday at Three Rivers Stadium, many predicted a high-scoring game as the 11-2 Denver Broncos took on the 9-4 Pittsburgh Steelers; however, that wasn’t the story. The two defenses showed up and the Game of the Day turned into a defensive war with the Steelers winning 13-3.
The top two running backs in the AFC coming into the game were Terrell Davis and Jerome Bettis. With the defenses focusing on the superstars, they both had their lowest outputs of the season. Davis was held to just 30 yards rushing on 16 carries. Bettis didn’t fare any better as he was held to 21 yards on 16 carries.
The backup running backs proved to be the difference in the game. Steeler running back George Jones had 51 yards on 10 carries, while Fred McAfee had the only TD in the game on the 4-yard plunge.
Bronco QB John Elway was pummeled all day long. He was sacked twice but the constant pressure forced him to throw three interceptions. One of the interceptions was costly as it occurred deep in Steeler territory. Elway was limited to just 183 yards on 14 of 38 passing.
The Steelers did get some big plays from QB Kordell Stewart who threw for 217 yards, but he was sacked four times, had a fumbled lost and intercepted once. Yancy Thigpen did have five catches for 110 yards to continue his awesome season.
The Broncos are now 11-3 on the season and travel to San Francisco next Monday to take on the 49ers in another heavyweight fight. The Steelers retook the AFC Central lead as the Bengals lost on Thursday night. The Steelers are now 10-4 and will travel to New England for a big-time showdown with the Patriots.