PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers will go up against rookie quarterback Bo Nix on Sunday in Denver. It’s a matchup that favors the Steelers on paper, especially given Mike Tomlin’s 24-6 record against rookie QBs during his tenure as Pittsburgh’s head coach.
Nix completed 26 of 42 passes (61.9%) for 138 yards, no touchdown, two interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 47.5 in last Sunday’s 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He also was sacked twice. The rookie had an impressive 4-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, though.
The Steelers lost to Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson last year, and he was a fifth-round pick. Nix was the 12th overall pick in this past year’s draft. Anything can happen. The Steelers certainly won’t be taking Nix and the Broncos’ offense lightly.
“First, you’ve got to respect who you’re playing,” defensive captain Cam Heyward said. “Not just looking at it as a rookie quarterback, but understanding that it’s an 11-man game and they’ve got vets on that side. They’re going to try to protect him, and try to have good pressure, get after the run so he can make it one dimensional.
Heyward also mentioned that the Broncos have a Super Bowl-winning head coach, who has nearly 20 years of experience.
“With an experienced coach like Sean Payton, it’s not going to be that easy,” he said.
The Broncos are preparing for the Steelers’ lethal pass rush. Payton knows it will be a massive challenge, especially after Denver allowed the most pressures in the entire NFL last week (44.9%).
“(The Steelers) do a lot of things extremely well, and that’s not by accident,” Payton said Tuesday. “I think we’ll be seeing a better defense this weekend, and that’s with no disrespect at all to Seattle. The Steelers’ defensive tradition and how they’ve performed over the years is deserving of the accolades and all the success they’ve had. It’s tough (and) physical.”
Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts is in his ninth NFL season. He knows there’s no gimmes in the league.
“We just need to continue doing what we’re doing,” Roberts said. “This week we’re going against a young rookie who last week did some good things. He controlled what can be controlled.”
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.