The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing to take on the Denver Broncos on the road for their second game of the 2024 season. The team is coming off of an ugly victory over the Atlanta Falcons, and will be taking on their second consecutive road test in Denver. The defense played well against the high-powered Falcons offense, mainly due to the ability of TJ Watt. The star pass rusher lived in the backfield during the Week 1 contest while playing a veteran quarterback in Kirk Cousins. Now, he is preparing to take on a rookie in just his second start.
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Steelers' TJ Watt pumps up the crowd on the road in Atlanta.
The Broncos will be starting Bo Nix for the second time as he comes off of a fairly ugly debut against the Seattle Seahawks. The young quarterback threw two interceptions in a losing effort, but was able to make some plays with his legs while throwing the ball 42 times. He was only sacked twice, and did a good job of escaping the pocket in time and getting the ball out quickly. Watt joined The Jim Rome Show on Friday, and he was asked about the certain challenges the defense will be facing while going up against the rookie.
"Yeah, I think it's one of those things where you don't usually see a rookie quarterback in his debut throw the ball 42 times, especially on the road. I think that just lets you know everything you need to know about their confidence in him and his confidence in the offense and how he's playing. They have a lot of great players around him, obviously 14 [Courtland Sutton] does things at a high level and they have some high-priced tackles that protect him well. I think Sean Payton is doing some really good things there with the offense, and I think it will be a really good challenge this week, especially on the road."
Pittsburgh may be going up against a rookie quarterback, but he has plenty of experience leading a team. Nix started over 60 games at the college level between the SEC and the PAC-12. Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton also has plenty of experience. He was one of the best play-callers in the league during his long and successful tenure as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints, and now he looks to build on that success in Denver with Nix.
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Broncos quarterback Bo Nix rolls out to throw a pass during the 2024 preseason.
Historically, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has had a lot of success when going up against rookie quarterbacks. His all-time record against rookie signal-callers sits at 24-6, which obviously favors the Steelers in their Week 2 matchup in Denver. It's crucial Pittsburgh doesn't overlook a team just because they are starting a first year player at the most important position in football. If Pittsburgh follows the same formula they had in Week 1, which included a stifling defense and protecting the football on offense, they should be able to start the season 2-0.
Steelers Suffered An Embarrassing Loss To A Rookie In 2023
The Steelers had a much anticipated game against a rookie quarterback towards the beginning of the 2023 season when they took on CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans. The Texans had a beat up offensive line, in a similar way to the Broncos. Houston was able to keep Watt from effecting the game, however, and Stroud had a day against the Pittsburgh defense. The rookie threw for over 300 yards, had two touchdowns, and didn't get touched in the backfield.
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Steelers were picked apart by CJ Stroud in a Week 4 loss in 2023.
There is no way of telling if Nix is anywhere near the talent level of Stroud just yet. Stroud went on to have one of the best rookie seasons the NFL world has ever seen from a quarterback. He was in the MVP conversation for the majority of the season, and was named a Pro Bowler at the end of the year, while also receiving the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Things should go a lot differently this time around for the Steelers. Nix only managed to throw for 138 yards on 42 pass attempts in the Week 1 loss, and Pittsburgh's pass rush should be able to disrupt his day.
What do you think about Watt's remarks on Nix? Let us know in the comments below!
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