The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to escape their Week 1 visit to the Atlanta Falcons with an 18-10 win. They are headed to the Mile High City for their second road game in a row against the Denver Broncos. The NFL set Pittsburgh up to start with some revenge games, with new Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith and new quarterback Russell Wilson facing their old teams.
Wilson might be sidelined for his return to Denver, having struggled with a calf injury since the start of training camp. However, that doesn't make Bleav In Broncos host Patrick Chiotti worried. On a recent joint pregame episode, he told Bleav in Steelers host Mark Bergin that he is most worried about the smothering black and gold defense.
When Wilson left the Broncos, Denver drafted Bo Nix, who will start in this game. Chiotti worries about how he will fare against T.J. Watt and company after losing their first game of the season against the Seattle Seahawks 26-20.
"Having watched that game last week at Atlanta and T.J. Watt just getting home every single time, I'm talking to somebody, 'Oh look, another fumble, who was it? T.J. Ok, of course.' There was the one that I saw where he just ripped the ball from Kirk Cousins' hand. His style of play, the explosiveness off the edge, his first step, his ability to jump snaps, his ability to bend when he needs to bend, his ability to go through a tackle with a bull rush when he can is an awesome thing to see. You guys got an amazing player. This is a generational talent and I hate using that term, but T.J. Watt really is. His talent is just something that is once in a lifetime. He's a freak, a nightmare matchup."
Nix was originally at Auburn, but transferred after two years to Oregon where he found more success and attention. A contender for the Heisman Trophy, Nix utilized his extra COVID season to hone his skills and get more positive exposure. He took Wilson's place as the hope for the future of Denver.
"My worry for Bo Nix and the Broncos offense in this game, you have to get the run game going. They did not get it going last week against Seattle. That's a tough team to run against. The Steelers are no different, Cam Heyward and Alex Highsmith; you're gonna have to go up against other dudes up front that are just monsters, and this run defense is going to be very good. That worries me because in order to have some pressure taken off your rookie quarterback, you can't have him throw the ball 42 times in a game and still end up the leading rusher."
Anyone would worry about a rookie quarterback, but Chiotti is extra worried about facing this tough Steelers defense. He thinks Nix needs to find a rhythm against this defense, and that will be a challenge with some of these mismatches. He expects Watt to be lined up with Mike McGlinchey, and that match-up doesn't work in the Broncos' favor.
Steelers' Russell Wilson Won't Get A Warm Welcome
Players are rarely welcomed back to their former team warmly. If you leave and play elsewhere, you are now the enemy, which is the case with Wilson. Chiotti said that he expects Wilson to be booed frequently by the fans, even though it doesn't seem like he will start.
Chiotti also joked that if he were in charge of picking the warmup music at the stadium that day, he would play nothing but Future. This is a subtle dig at Wilson's wife, singer Ciara, who was engaged to the rapper before meeting Wilson.
Lastly, he said he knows the fans will count down the play clock every single time. When Wilson was with the Broncos, particularly his first season, there were issues with clock management, and he witnessed them run 40 seconds off the game clock as they were trying to pull out a win in the waning moments of the game.
