ENGLEWOOD, Colo.– The mood in the Broncos’ postgame locker room at Heinz Field four weeks ago was embittered. Safety David Bruton Jr. had just been helped from the field with a broken leg and the league’s No. 1 defense was licking its wounds after a second half in which the Steelers scored 21 unanswered points and exploited its few weaknesses in a 34-27 defeat.
The Broncos had squandered a 27-10 second-quarter lead while allowing 377 total yards on offense, including 354 through the air. The postgame consensus was that the team was going to bounce back the next week (it did) and that it hoped to see the Steelers in the playoffs.