Steelers' Week 2 Opponent Broncos' Pat Surtain Blasts Refs Over Controversial Calls Against Him

The Pittsburgh Steelers emerged victorious with a 13-6 win over the Denver Broncos in the Mile High City, overcoming the challenging road environment. Despite entering the game as slight favorites, the Steelers were well aware that securing a win in Denver would be tough. Week 2 saw numerous upsets around the NFL, but Pittsburgh managed to avoid being a part of that trend.

The Steelers executed their game plan effectively, though many fans were hoping for a stronger offensive showing. The game began promisingly on offense, with Justin Fields starting in place of the injured Russell Wilson. Fields delivered another respectable performance, leading Pittsburgh to a 2-0 start for the season. However, in the second half the offense struggled big time.

Once again, the Steelers had some significant plays negated, but the Broncos also faced their share of officiating adversity. Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain was plagued by penalties, including a critical pass interference call in the third quarter on a 37-yard pass. This penalty allowed the Steelers to extend their lead to 13-0 with a field goal.

After the game, Surtain addressed the Denver media about the controversial calls. While he refrained from placing full blame on the officials, he acknowledged that some of the calls were questionable.

"Penalties, some of them was kind of BS, but some of them was, I guess good calls. I don’t know," Surtain said. "At the end of the day, you just got to focus on what you can control and move going forward from there."

Leading up to this matchup, much of the focus was on the battle between Surtain and Steelers star wide receiver George Pickens. Many expected Surtain to neutralize Pickens, and while the box score might suggest that Surtain succeeded—Pickens caught just two passes for 29 yards—the impact of Pickens’ performance went beyond the numbers.

Pickens consistently caused problems for Surtain throughout the game, disrupting his coverage and contributing to mistakes that led to penalties against the Broncos. One notable play was a 51-yard catch by Pickens on Surtain, which was nullified due to a holding penalty on Broderick Jones. Despite the frustration with the officiating, Surtain acknowledged that his defense could have performed better.

"Obviously with our defense, we had to play hard and play physical. Our main goal is to try and out-physical them and I think we were very physical on defense," he said. "I think we still let them off the hook, in some plays, including myself. I know I have to get better in certain ways as well, too. But, you know, that's the hard part of the league. I mean, you win some, you lose some. So, we look forward to next week."

The Steelers faced their own challenges with penalties, which hampered their offensive rhythm. Jones was flagged three times in limited action, leading to frustration for Fields, Najee Harris, and the entire offense. Pittsburgh will need to address these penalty issues and aim for a cleaner game moving forward.

Steelers Turn Their Attention To Week 3 Against The Chargers

Surtain felt that some of the calls were questionable and seemed to favor the Steelers, but he stopped short of fully blaming the officials. The Steelers, nonetheless, managed to secure the win and will now shift their focus to their home opener in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers. 

It will be intriguing to see whether Fields will start again or if Wilson will be healthy enough to return. The Steelers face a significant decision at quarterback: if Fields continues to lead the team to victories, there may be questions about whether Wilson will reclaim his starting role.

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