Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 Bold predictions for Week 2 vs. Broncos

2. Steelers post six sacks

Pittsburgh led the NFL in sacks in each of the past three seasons. Pittsburgh’s defensive front is monstrous, and it’s ready to gobble up Lock. The second-year Missouri product avoided hitting the turf against Tennessee, but Pittsburgh’s pass rush is relentless. The unit had Jones scrambling for his life for most of Monday night. Six sacks are a reach, but Lock won’t get out of Week 2 unscathed.

The Steelers brought down Jones three times, but the team’s three best pass-rushers haven’t recorded sacks yet. Bud Dupree, Cameron Heyward, and T.J. Watt impacted Monday’s game in other ways, but all three went home sack-less. That won’t happen two weeks in a row.

1. Ben Roethlisberger throws for 300 yards

In his first game since Sept. 15, 2019, Roethlisberger looked shaky. He missed several running backs on short passes and lofted a few wobbly targets over the heads of intended receivers. The 38-year-old also held the ball too long, taking two unnecessary sacks. Despite the rocky start, Roethlisberger’s stat line told a positive story.

Big Ben completed 65.6 percent of his pass attempts against New York for 229 yards and three touchdowns. While the running game struggled early, Roethlisberger eased himself back into the offense and began cooking the Giants after a quiet first quarter. It could take another few weeks for the future Hall of Famer to get his touch back, but my initial thoughts on Big Ben’s return are positive.

The Broncos have a tremendous safety pairing with Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons. However, Denver’s cornerback depth is shaky at best. Smith-Schuster and Johnson should find plenty of holes to sit in for yardage underneath. Don’t rule out seeing Roethlisberger toss a few deep shots either.