Zero tolerance in second half
PITTSBURGH – With the way Denver was slicing through Pittsburgh’s defense in the first half of Sunday’s game, the people who market the Ginsu knife might want to think about shooting a new commercial.
The Broncos were cutting through everything the Steelers’ defense could throw at them.
After scoring touchdowns on four consecutive possessions and grabbing a 27-13 halftime lead, the Broncos finally found something they couldn’t cut through.
Pittsburgh’s defense made some adjustments and shut out the Broncos in the second half as the Steelers rallied for a 34-27 victory.
The Steelers’ improved play started on the opening possession of the second half. Denver had converted all eight of its third downs in the first half. But on that opening possession, Pittsburgh looked like a different defense.
It got a three-and-out on the first series and another on the next. The momentum clearly shifted.
“Very important,” said defensive end Cameron Heyward of those first two stops. “I thought we came out with a lot more energy. I thought we just kept on competing. We might not have hit home every time, but when you keep on knocking at the door, somebody’s going to answer once in a while.”
Pittsburgh’s offense will get a lot of credit for scoring 24 unanswered points and 34 total against the NFL’s top-rated defense, but the defense finally found its footing and that was crucial.
“We stopped kicking our own butt, probably the No. 1 adjustment,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “So much of that was self-inflicted wounds, things we were doing to ourselves. We settled down and that had a lot to do with it.”
After gaining 295 yards in the first half, Denver had just 90 in the second.
Heyward, cornerback William Gay and safeties Mike Mitchell and Will Allen spoke to their defensive teammates at halftime. Their message was simple. There wasn’t any yelling or finger pointing.
“We just miscommunicated a lot,” said Allen. “When you have mental errors and miscommunicate, you get exploited. They did. They made plays when it counted and it hurt us bad. We understood that. Denver’s a really good team. We just had to knuckle up.”
Shazier’s pick
When second-year linebacker Ryan Shazier had 10 tackles and an interception in his first preseason game last year, people were ready to anoint him as the next big thing for the Steelers’ defense.
But Shazier hadn’t had an interception in his career until picking off Brock Osweiler late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game.
Considered a coverage linebacker, Shazier struggled through injuries in his first two seasons. But he’s been on the field of late and had been close to making an interception the past few weeks.
It finally came Sunday as he stepped in front of an Osweiler pass intended for Emmanuel Sanders, at the Denver 37 to set up Pittsburgh’s game-winning score.
“I saw him break from the pocket and just stepped up in front of the receiver,” said Shazier.
It was the kind of play the Steelers envisioned for the speedy linebacker. In fact, they’re relying on him in coverage so much that they have begun taking linebacker Lawrence Timmons off the field in the dime defense with six defensive backs.
“We drafted Ryan a couple of years ago in round one to make plays like that and he delivered,” said head coach Mike Tomlin.
What can Brown do for you?
Steelers receiver Antonio Brown was challenged throughout the game by Pro Bowl cornerback Chris Harris, who had not allowed a touchdown catch since November of 2013.
Brown not only ended that streak with one TD catch, he caught another, and finished with 16 receptions for 189 yards.
Brown, who had an 18-catch game earlier this season against Oakland, is the first player in NFL history to have two games with 15 or more receptions in a season.
“You want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” said Brown, who joined Wes Welker as the only player in NFL history with three consecutive seasons with at least 110 receptions. “There’s no stopping me.”
Odds and end zones
The Steelers have won 10 consecutive games in December, matching Carolina for the longest current streak in the league. … The Steelers have scored points in a team-record 21 consecutive quarters. … Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s 40 completions matched his own team record set against Indianapolis in 2014. … Roethlisberger surpassed 3,000 passing yards in a season for the 10th consecutive season, making him the sixth player in NFL history to do so. … Timmons moved into 10th place on the team’s all-time sack list. He now has 31.5.